Rebuilding Amy
by Eyemustbecrazy
Summary: The Doctor returns to find a grieving River and devastated Amy.   Rated M for future chapters.  All standard disclaimers apply.
1. Too Late

Too Late

"_We need you! Be here in time, Amy and Rory's cottage in Leadworth, Earth time 0714 August 23, 2015_." _X_

The Doctor re-read Rivers note on the psychic paper again. He had tried seven times to program those parameters into the TARDIS, but his Old Girl would not take him to that time. "It's a fixed event," he mumbled to himself, "that's the only explanation." He tried once again, and yet again arrived to 1330, August 24, 2015. Always 1330 on August 24. With a heavy heart he finally stepped out of the TARDIS. Blinking against the bright sun, he walked towards the familiar cottage with a sense of foreboding. The normally cheerful cottage was too quiet, the fruit trees as still as statues. Not even a breeze whispered through the leaves. He walked through the gate and made his way up the stone path, the scent of sun warmed apples hung in the silent air of the yard. He saw River open the door to come out to meet him. He knew what was coming, and did not welcome it.

"Where were you?" River cried as she ran out to him. "Why didn't you get here in time?" She broke down, crying uncontrollably as he enclosed her in his arms and guided her back into the cottage.

"I tried River, really I did." He smoothed her wild curls with his hand, placing his hands on either side of her face and tilting it up to look into his eyes, making sure she understood. "It was a fixed event. There was nothing I could do to stop it."

Her eyes, red from crying, looked exhausted and her sobs continued as he held and rocked her gently. They stood like that as the sun crawled across the floor towards the evening. River cried herself out after a bit, the Doctor holding her until her breathing steadied and she had regained some measure of control.

"Tell me." He commanded.

"It was like any Sunday morning, Rory always lets Amy sleep in…." River faltered. The Doctor made encouraging noises and River continued. "Used to let Amy sleep in." She corrected herself, her eyes closed in pain. "He got in the car to drive into town to the bakery, they always make pumpkin scones on Sundays, Mummy's favorite." She said by way of explanation.

"What happened this time?" The Doctor prompted.

"Boy on a bicycle. He came out from between two parked cars. Rory swerved to avoid hitting him and the car went into a ditch. It was a stupid-stupid accident." Her voice hitched, "Nobody should have gotten hurt." Fresh tears streamed down River's face. "Rory's neck was broken. The doctors said he died instantly, didn't feel a thing." She broke down again. The Doctor picked his grieving wife up carried her to the sofa where he sat with her still cradled in his arms.

"I tried stopping it." She finally murmured. "I tried to go back. To stop him from getting into the car, stop him from leaving. But I couldn't. I tried and tried and tried…"

"Paradox," the Doctor replied. "Time won't let you un-do something that's fixed."

River looked at him angrily, "You did!" She punctuated it with a poke to his chest. "You stopped your own death! Why can't you bring back Rory?"

He looked at her, the sorrow in his eyes told her why. Not all time can be re-written. Her eyes closed and she turned her head away in denial as he held her more closely and rocked her. After she had calmed down again, The Doctor asked, "Where is Amy now?"

"At the hospital, she was hysterical and wouldn't leave Daddy's side. They finally had to sedate her." River wiped her eyes. "She's being kept for observation for a few days, the Doctors were afraid she would hurt herself. I've told the hospital I'm her sister, and they have my number, they'll call should there be any change. I knew you would come here, so here I am, waiting for you."

The Doctor kissed her gently, stood up, and placing River on her feet said, "Let's go and get your Mum."

The drive to the hospital was silent, each of them keeping their thoughts private for now. When they arrived and he saw Amy restrained in the bed, it almost broke the Doctor's heart. His mad, impossible little Amelia Pond, broken and fragile, tear stains trailed on her sleeping face. Even in her sleep she cried for her Rory. He caught the scent of her shampoo through the antiseptic odors of the hospital, fresh strawberries. Since he first met her as a child, he could not help but associate Amy with the smell of fresh strawberries. Her strawberry scented hair now in a mess of tangles about her pale face, pinched with the pain of her loss. He picked up her chart and glanced over it, muttering at the diagnosis and treatment. One didn't just drug a person into catatonia to help them deal with their grief. He knew he had to get Amy out of this hospital and away from these antiquated treatments. He turned as a portly, pug nosed, steel-haired nurse waddled in.

"Just who do you think you are messing around with a patient's chart?" The stout woman demanded. "Put it down and step away from the patient!"

He pulled out the psychic paper and brandished it at her. "I've been called in by the family to consult on this case, here are my credentials."

The nurse blinked and took a step back, "It says you're the private physician to the Queen? Well Doctor, this facility will grant you access to our resources, but as you can see we have the situation well in hand!"

"Well in hand? WELL IN HAND?" The Doctor growled, towering over the nurse, waving his arms wildly and gesturing towards the sleeping Amy. "Do you call this WELL IN HAND? You've got her restrained and drugged! How is she supposed to process what has happened? How do you expect her to deal with her grief if you keep her drugged and not allow her be awake long enough to do so?" He demanded. "This is barbaric! Next you're going to bring in leaches and try to bleed her as well, or administer shock therapy. This is unconscionable! You're hurting her, not helping her!" The Doctor threw the chart across the room. "I'm taking this patient to a private facility where I can administer her care. She will be transported in a private vehicle by her sister," He gestured to the bewildered River and turned back to the nurse with instructions. "Bring a chair while I release her from these intolerable restraints." He turned his attention back to Amy, effectively dismissing the nurse.

The nurse scurried out of the room to find discharge papers and a wheel chair, leaving River and the Doctor alone with the sleeping Amy. "That went well," River tearfully chuckled. "What are you planning?"

The Doctor winked at her, "Let's get Amy home first, then we will come up with something…" he trailed off, turning back to look at Amy. "There are plans to be made, yes? Let's get those done and we can go from there. Right now, Amy is alive. We need to make her remember that. We need to make her see that the pain isn't the only thing in her life now, she needs to feel alive."

The car ride home was uneventful, a semiconscious Amy being held by the Doctor while River drove. Once back at her home, he carried Amy into the house. River had suggested settling her in the guest room off the kitchen where they could both be nearby when she woke. They got her tucked into the bed, and leaving the door ajar exited into the kitchen. The Doctor put on a pot of water to heat for tea; they would need a lot of it for the nightly vigil ahead of them.


	2. Waking Up

Waking Up

The night was long, and blessedly uneventful. Amy slept, letting the drugs work their way out of her system and stirred only occasionally, weeping and asking for Rory in her sleep. Each time the Doctor or River came to her side immediately, holding and comforting her until she quieted down and slipped deeper into sleep. As the eastern horizon lightened, the Doctor dozed in the bedside chair, his hand resting lightly on Amy's shoulder so he would be alerted when she started to stir. He could hear River rustle about the kitchen setting a new pot of tea and putting together the morning meal. From the smells drifting in there was definitely bacon involved, his nose twitched in anticipation.

He simultaneously became aware of the morning light filtering into the room, and Amy's waking. Opening his eyes he turned towards her to find her looking at him, eyes dry but filled with the pain of her loss.

"Bring him back. Save him." She whispered.

He shook his head in denial, "I tried. I can't." he replied softly.

Swallowing she spoke again, "You save everyone, you always do."

"Not always," an ageless grief flitted across his face. "Amy, I'm so sorry. I can't bring Rory back." He leaned towards taking both of her hands in his and kissing them gently.

Her face crumpled, eyes filling with tears "Why're you here then? What good are you?"

The Doctor moved to the bed, pulling the weeping Amy in his arms. "Amy-Amy-Amy," he murmured. "My wonderful amazing Amelia Pond" his hand stroking her hair, "I'm so very sorry this happened. If it were possible, I would bring your Rory back to you." He kissed her forehead, continuing to stroke her hair and comfort her. River came in, sitting on the other side and embraced Amy in a hug from the other side. The three of them sat sandwiched in a mutual grief until Amy pushed them away.

"Why?" Amy asks.

The Doctor stood and began to pace about the room "Time travel isn't an exact science," he pauses, looking back at her briefly. "Well, it is. But it isn't. You can't just pop around anywhere you want to go, all willy-nilly random. If you intend to go to a certain time and do a certain thing, Time won't let you if that thing is a Fixed Event." He fixes his gaze on River, "Like killing Hitler." River had the courtesy to blush. "The atrocities Hitler committed were fixed, they HAD to happen. As monstrous and evil as the Third Reich was, it was necessary. Without it, something or some things that were necessary wouldn't come about."

Tears threatened to spill out of Amy's eyes. "But why did Rory have to die. Why would that be a fixed event, it doesn't make sense. Rory was no Hitler, he was harmless; he was mine."

River turned to her mother, wiping the tears from Amy's cheeks, "Some things have to happen in order for other things that are necessary to come about." She repeated the Doctors words. "It's very complicated, and nobody completely understands it. It's like building a house in a forest. If you don't cut down some of the trees, the house can't be built."

The Doctor snorted, "It's not like that at all." His arms waved as his pacing continued, "Imagine you're driving down a street and you come across a wall built across the street. Except it's not a wall, it's more of a hole, or a chasm, or a ravine, or a canyon. Yes, a canyon. You can see that the road continues across the canyon, but you can't get to it because the canyon is in the way. Now, picture that somebody builds a bridge across the canyon. You can now continue to drive on the road because you have a way to get across the canyon on the bridge. The bridge is a Fixed Event. It has to happen so you can continue to drive down the road." He turned back, looking expectantly at them hoping they understood his analogy.

The two women looked at him, River incredulous and Amy in confusion. "He's always like this", River turned to Amy. "Making up wildly unlikely scenarios that make sense to nobody but him, pay no attention to any of it." She turned back to face the Doctor. "That was the most ridiculous explanation you've come up with so far."

Amy almost smiled at the offended look the Doctor shot at River before turning to the kitchen and walking off while mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like, "It's not ridiculous at all if you understand time travel!"

River turned back to Amy, "Breakfast is ready if you want to try eating something?" Amy hadn't had solid food since the night before Rory's death, and River was anxious to get her to eat.

"I'm not hungry," Amy turned to lie back onto the bed, but River pulled her back up and onto her feet.

"Amy, you've got to eat", she pulled a reluctant Amy towards the door, "let's start with a cup of tea, then take it minute by minute after that, shall we?" River implored.

Amy allowed herself to be led into the kitchen and seated at the table. The Doctor brought her a cup of tea and a plate of toast with marmalade, bacon, and a sliced tomato. Amy was surprised to find she was actually hungry and began to nibble at the bacon and asking, "What day is it?"

River and the Doctor looked nervously at each other, "Tuesday" River replied.

Amy dropped the bacon, her eyes widening in alarm and confusion. "What happened to Monday? For that matter, what happened to the rest of Sunday?"

"It's been a difficult few days, let's leave it at that" River said softly to her mother, handing her the cup of tea.

Amy picked at her breakfast as her two companions joined her at the table. The three ate in silence, River and the Doctor exchanging worried looks when Amy would occasionally become still and seem to retreat into herself. They could both see her trying to come to terms with her new reality; life without Rory.

The remainder of the morning passed uneventfully. River bullied the Doctor into cleaning up the breakfast mess while she took Amy upstairs to get her washed and changed. Rather than have her face their bedroom and all the reminders of Rory, River brought Amy's clothes to her in the bath. She would need to face that at some point, but not today.

Neighbors and friends Rory had made at the hospital where he worked had come by to pay their respects throughout the day, some bringing food, others just offering comfort. In the afternoon, when Amy retired to the guest room for a nap, River made a few discrete calls to arrange the funeral. Through conversations in the past she knew that Rory had wanted to be cremated, the arrangements for that were made, along with the plans for a small memorial service. Rory would be put to rest, surrounded by friends and loved ones in two days.


	3. Farewell

Farewell

The scent of flowers was cloying and oppressive. Amy realized that she would always associate this day with the fragrance of too many flowers in a hot, overcrowded room.

One by one through that awful, endless day, people filed forward to speak tributes to Rory. Old Mrs. Mulligan rambled on, expressing her thankfulness for Rory when he helped her transition home after her hip replacement two years ago, and who had still checked on her weekly. Nigel Poynter, who Rory had worked with through his recovery to regain his speech after his brain injury the previously winter, briefly spoke offering Amy his sympathy. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell from down the road, for whom Rory had helped to deliver their first child when Mrs. Campbell went into early labor during their garden party two months earlier. Polly Dewhurst, the new nurse intern whom Rory had mentored, tearfully said goodbye to the man who had become her hero. Finally, his soccer team, the Leadworth Lions, for whom Rory had played Forward, the remaining team members bid their top scorer farewell.

There was no question that Rory had been adored by his patients, friends, and neighbors, and respected by his co-workers. The love expressed for Rory on this day warmed Amy's heart, but at the same time it reminded her of all she had lost. It seemed her eyes would never be dry again, and that her heart would never heal. When it was her turn to speak, she wasn't sure she could get through it.

"Rory was the love of my life," she started. "He has been by my side since before I even knew it. And he waited. He waited for me to grow up while he was growing up himself. He waited two thousand years for me to wake up. And all that time he waited, and he loved me." Tears were streaming freely down her face now, Amy continued unaware of the looks of confusion mirrored on the faces in the room. "He traveled across the universe to save me. He was mine, before I even knew it, and there's no question in my mind," she choked back a sob, "wherever he is now, he's waiting for me." Amy finally broke down, unable to continue.

River went to Amy, enclosing her in an embrace and guiding her back to her seat.

Somehow Amy managed to get through the rest of the service, numb and withdrawn. She was unaware of the concerned looks passing between River and the Doctor, so immersed was she in her grief. She mingled through the crowd of guests, responding when spoken to directly. She seemed to be coping, if only barely, until one of the neighbors commented that it was a shame she and Rory had never had children. That seemed to be the final straw for her, and Amy broke down completely. The Doctor picked her up and carried her out to the car while River gathered their things and followed them out. Once again River drove home while the Doctor comforted Amy in the back seat.

"Tea?" River asked softly as they walked Amy into the house, she nodded numbly.

"I'll get it…" the Doctor started.

"No!" the two women spoke in unison, and answering the Doctor's confused and alarmed look Amy spoke up, "Your tea is awful, sorry." River chuckled.

"Fine," the Doctor huffed, "I'll just be in the other room, doing something unspeakably clever!"

Amy remained silent through tea, excusing herself to go to bed early, pleading a headache. She retired to the guest room, another night avoiding her own bedroom and all the memoires it held, once again oblivious to the looks of concern exchanged between her daughter and the doctor. When the guest room door closed, River asked in a hushed tone, "Should we be doing something… anything, to help her through this?"

"No," the doctor replied, "Amy has to find her own way through this, as painful as it is for her."

"But she's not finding her way, she's dying inside. Every day, she's a little bit less Amy." River paused, not sure how to ask what she wanted to ask. "Surely there's something you can do for her, to help her forget? Like what you did for Donna..."

"No!" He cut her off abruptly. "I can't do THAT to Amy. I WON'T do that to Amy. I've seen her before, when she didn't remember Rory; you can't know how awful it was. She couldn't remember him, but she still knew he was missing." He took a breath, "I think once things are a little more settled, I'm going to take Amy somewhere to rest and recover, somewhere with no association to Rory," he held up a hand to stop her from interrupting. "Not to make her forget, but to help her remember how to live."

River nodded to acknowledge the difference, then sidled up to the Doctor suggestively, wrapping one arm around his waist and twining her fingers through his. She nibbled his neck and whispered an invitation for him to join her upstairs in her room. The Doctor hugged his wife and stepped back. "I need to make some plans," he told her. "You will need to stay here when I take Amy away, but I think you shouldn't be alone. He was your father." The Doctor saw the pain in his wife's eyes, acknowledging her loss.

"Very well." River pulled away, heading up to her room, "but you don't know what you're missing tonight." She said fluttering her eyes at him. He chuckled as he made his way out to the TARDIS, closing the door softly behind him.

Later that night Amy awoke to the sound of someone softly crying in the kitchen. She pulled on a robe and padded barefoot out of the guest room to find River in kitchen, wandering about and softly crying. "River, what's wrong?" Amy asked, fearing that some other tragedy had fallen upon her family.

Startled, River turned to her mother, "I miss him." She said simply. Amy enveloped her daughter in her arms, stroking her hair and letting River cry.

"We both do" Amy murmured softly. She guided River over to the table, sitting her down. "How about some hot chocolate?" River nodded, so Amy filled the kettle with water, put it on the stove to start it warming, and got the instant chocolate powder from the cupboard. She went back to the table, sitting down and looking at her daughter.

"You're lucky, you know?" Amy started, "You got to know your father and I better than most children know their parents."

River looked at her curiously.

"Most children grow up looking up to their parents, being guided by them but not really getting to know them personally. You grew up with us. You got to know us as friends, not parents." Amy paused, making sure she had Rivers attention. "Even when we didn't like you very much, we always loved you. And we didn't know why. Something in us must have recognized that you were our daughter, but we were children, and that wasn't really something we could conceive." River chuckled at the pun. "That time you tricked Rory into letting you wax his legs, what was he, 13? 14? Or that time when we were 15, and you snuck the sheep into the principal's office, and then took off and left Rory and I stranded to take the blame." River smiled at the memory. "You were his friend. And he loved you. We both did."

The kettle began to whistle, Amy got up to fix two cups of hot chocolate, bringing them back to the table she continued. "Rory was an amazing man. You saw him the day you were born, but you didn't see him when he held you in his arms. He cried. He looked into your face, and he cried like a baby." River was unaware of the tears streaming down her face. "The look on his face, with you cradled in his arms was..." Amy faltered, choking back a sob. She swiped her own tears away with the heel of her hand and concluded, "He loved you. Never forget that." She took a drink and continued, "We didn't get to raise you in the traditional sense, and we both regretted that. But all the same, it turned out OK. We only ever wanted you to be happy and well, and I think you are. I think he knows you are."

The two women finished their drinks in silence. As they put their cups in the sink, Amy spoke again. "Tomorrow, perhaps you can help me clean some things out upstairs?" She didn't give any details, but she knew that River understood. She was asking her daughter to help her face her memories when she went up into her room.

River hugged her mother, "I will always be here to help you. You need only ask." They stood like that for a few minutes, when they parted their eyes met, but neither spoke. There was an understanding and mutual respect between mother and daughter. Amy knew River would be there for her, and River knew Amy would reciprocate that support.


	4. Starting to Heal

The Doctor made his way across the yard to the TARDIS, leaving River to close up the house and settle in for the night. He needed to find a way to get Amy away, and not have River come with them or follow them. He had an idea how to do this, but wanted to work it through before putting it into action. As much as he didn't want to, he knew the best person to help him distract his wife.

Captain Jack Harkness.

River was almost as big of a flirt as Jack was, and more than a match for him. He knew that if Jack actually tried anything beyond flirting, River would gleefully put a hole in him with one of the many guns or knives she kept on her body at all times. At least he hoped she would. He remembered several times before he really knew who she was, before he knew she was his wife, when there were apparent indiscretions despite her marital status. He wondered at that though, were they actually married during those times if for him, it hadn't happened yet? When he stopped to think about it, were they even really married? The wedding had occurred in a timeline that no longer existed. Despite the fact that everyone remembered it, did it really happen? He shook his head, even after almost a thousand years, time travel could still be confusing and raise unanswerable questions in his mind.

He made a call in to Torchwood, leaving a message for Jack and expected that he would hear back from him the next day. That would give him time to come up with a story, some kind of distraction that River would believe, allowing him to take Amy away so she could begin to heal. He was surprised to get a call back less than an hour after leaving the message. He kept the reason vague and stressed some urgency that he come to meet him the next day at Torchwood in Cardiff. An idea was growing in his mind, something that he was fairly certain River would believe and willingly accept. He just needed to work out the details.

The next morning the Doctor entered the cottage to find the two women chatting and making breakfast. It was immediately evident that something had happened overnight between them. While still obviously grieving, Amy seemed more animated and aware of the world around her.

"Good morning sleepy head" River greeted him with a light kiss. "Hungry?"

"Very" the Doctor replied, keeping an eye on Amy in his peripheral vision. "Smells… interesting."

"Eggs benedict with smoked salmon" Amy announced, setting a plate in front of him. The doctor looked down noting that the food in front of him smelled much better than it looked. It reminded him of the jellyfish swamps on one of the water moons of the Medusa Cascade. Tentatively he took a bite, and the look of delight on his face was enough to elicit a genuine smile from Amy.

The three chatted over breakfast, the Doctor looking for the opportunity to take River aside and put his planned distraction into play. When they were finished, Amy began to gather the dishes and the Doctor spoke up, "I'd like to speak with River for a moment Amy, we will be right back." Amy nodded and the Doctor took River by the arm and led her out to the garden under the apple trees. She looked curiously up at him.

"I was looking some things over last night in the TARDIS, and something stood out. There was a high frequency signal in the atmosphere that began shortly before the accident, it ended abruptly at the same moment of the accident. I believe something may have influenced the happenings that morning. There is a small possibility I was wrong. It may not have been fixed." He glanced at her quickly to see if she believed him. She looked curious so he continued. "I've been in contact with someone who has some expertise with things like this, someone local; I'd like you two to look into this. See if there is anything that suggests it wasn't just a normal accident. See if it's something that can be altered." He noted with satisfaction the look of excited hope spring out from River's eyes. "But," he cautioned, "Let's not say anything to Amy just yet. I don't want to get her hopes up over something that may have been a coincidence."

"Do you really think…?" River choked out, "How? Why?"

"I'm not sure. That's why I want you to investigate it, see what you can find. We need to find a reason to make a trip to Cardiff tomorrow. I'll leave the details up to you." He looked down at her expectantly.

"It's only a few hours' drive," River suggested, "perhaps we could…"

The Doctor interrupted her "No, we'll take the TARDIS. I'm going to drop you off to investigate. I'd like to take Amy away and let her rest a bit in a new environment, somewhere without all the memories." He gave her a brief hug, and then steered her back to the house.

Amy had just finished rinsing off the dishes when they walked in. River picked up a brush to help wash dishes, and the Doctor picked up a towel to dry them off, and the three finished the breakfast dishes quickly.

Amy turned to River, a slight look of panic in her eyes, "About the help I asked for last night," she began. "Would you help me go through the room?"

"Of course" River replied, and then turned to the Doctor, "you can make yourself useful too. There are some boxes in the shed, can you bring them up?"

"Certainly" he replied, and walked out to the shed. He returned shortly with a stack of boxes and held them out expectantly.

"You can put the clothes in the boxes… NO!" River stopped the Doctor from shoving clothes into the boxes. "FOLD them first!" She commanded, and turned back to the closet with Amy.

Rory's clothes were packed up neatly, and the boxes lined against the wall under the window. Amy looked about her room, lost. She struggled to fight back the tears, and the Doctor folded her into his arms. "It's OK to miss him Amy. You will always miss him, but there will come a day when it won't consume you." He put his hands on her shoulder and held her at arm's length and looked into her eyes. "I promise."

It broke his heart to see her like this. She had always been so full of life; she had a spark inside her that he thought would never be extinguished. He felt an almost physical pain to see her like this. He didn't want to see her spark extinguished, and would do anything to get it back for her.

"Amy," he began tentatively, "I'd like you to come with me somewhere for a little while. Just get away from here for a while with me."

"Alright" Amy agreed. "When?"

"Tomorrow" the Doctor replied.


	5. Torchwood

The TARDIS came to rest in the back of a small lot near Mermaid Quay behind a large rubbish skip and around the corner from the Terra Nova Pub, the agreed meeting place Captain Jack Harkness had given to the Doctor.

The sun had just set as River and Amy stepped out into the twilight. After making sure the ladies were watching him, the Doctor stepped out following them and with a flourish snapped his fingers. The door to the TARDIS closed and locked, the external lights flashed and an alarm chirped. River rolled her eyes, and Amy stifled a chuckle. The three walked towards the water front, enjoying the sounds of the city and the cool breeze coming in off the water.

They walked past the crowds at the outdoor tables, stepped in through the doors into the dimmed lights of the pub, and were greeted with music and mouthwatering smells. River noticed a good looking man near the bar staring intently at the doctor. She directed the Doctor's attention to him and the three walked towards the bar.

Jack motioned for them to follow him, and lead them towards the back of the bar. "I gotta admit, you caught me off guard when you called." Jack admitted to the Doctor as they walked.

"I think you're the best person to look into something, but we can discuss that later" the Doctor replied with a warning glance at Jack. Jack got the message and looked past the Doctor, spying Amy.

"Hello," Jack's voice dripped smooth seduction and he stepped towards Amy taking her hand, "Captain Jack Harkness at your service…"

"Stop it!" The Doctor interrupted glaring at Jack and stepping between the two breaking Jack's hold on her hand.

"What?" Jack asked innocently, stepping back he spotted River. Stepping around the Doctor he took River's hand and brought it to his lips.

"Captain Jack Harkness, and who are you beautiful?" Jack purred at River.

"Hello," she flirted back, her voice low and inviting, "Doctor River Song." She introduced herself.

Jack looked at the Doctor in surprise, "What, no warning?" he asked.

The Doctor chuckled, "No. River can take care of herself, just watch your valuables."

River gave the Doctor a reproachful look, "Pay no attention to him," she turned back to Jack, "and this is my mother, Amy Pond". She enjoyed the look of surprise on Jack's face.

"Williams." Amy interrupted. "I'm Amy Williams."

"Your _mother_?" Jack asked. "I'm sure there is an interesting story behind this. It's nice to meet you Amy Pond-Williams." Jack replied graciously to Amy.

The four made their way to an isolated table set back into an out of the way corner; Jack motioned for a server and turned to the other three asking what they wanted to drink. "Torchwood keeps a tab here, order what you want." He looked over at the Doctor, "They keep some things on stock here that's out of this world, if you get my drift."

The Doctors eyebrows raised in surprise. "How do you manage that?"

"We supply them" Jack replied smugly.

River and Amy ordered wine, Jack a pint of Peroni, and the Doctor ordered a stein of Gamman Ambrosia from the Torchwood private stock. When the server left to get their orders, the Doctor turned to River and Amy, "Jack works for Torchwood; he covers up things like me and contribute to conspiracy theories around the world."

Jack protested jabbing his finger at the Doctor's chest, "We don't cover up! We clean up messes left by things like you. We protect the earth from things worse than you! Cover up, as if! As for conspiracy theories, they don't need any help from us!" He smoothed out the Doctor's shirt and jacket with his hands where he had poked it, and his voice dropped seductively and he leaned in closer. "Have you been working out?"

Amy looked startled and River laughed out loud. The Doctor, embarrassed slid his chair away from Jack, batting his hands away. "Stop that!" He admonished.

The server returned with their drinks, and the conversation was paused. Amy heard the Doctor mumble something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "perfect timing!"

They each took a drink, the Doctor groaned in pleasure and Amy looked at him curiously.

"You alright?" she asked.

His eyes closed in ecstasy the Doctor nodded, taking another drink. Amy looked dubiously at the bubbly green sludge in the stein the he was holding, "if you say so." Her voice dripped with doubt.

River turned to Jack, "Tell me more about Torchwood."

"We're a covert organization established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after an encounter she had with our esteemed friend," he gestured towards the Doctor. "Our mission is to protect and defend the earth against extraterrestrial threats." He took a drink and continued, "After some mismanagement a few years back, I and a few others got it back on track. The public generally thinks we are a special forces, and we tend to encourage that belief. It saves money. We've been on a tight budget the last few years." He said by way of explanation.

Finishing his drink, the Doctor spoke up. "Tight budget indeed; you and your people playing with toys you don't understand, running about making the messes you try to clean up bigger. But that's not why we're here." He glanced over to River, sending a silent signal to her with his eyes.

River turned to Amy, "I'm heading to the loo, join me?" The two women stood and walked towards the front of the bar.

The Doctor turned back to Jack, "On August 23, Amy's husband Rory was killed." The Doctor spoke quickly. "Originally I thought it was a fixed event as the TARDIS would not let me go back to that time." Jack's eyebrows rose at this, and the Doctor continued, "There is a slight chance that I was mistaken. I was looking over some readings in the TARDIS coinciding with that date, a frequency signal spiked in the atmosphere that started right before his accident, and ended at the time of the accident."

"What do you think I can do about it?" Jack asked.

"If I was mistaken, I need to find out." The Doctor continued, looking to the front of the bar to be sure the ladies weren't on their way back yet. "Amy mustn't know, she's been through too much to give her any false hope. I'm going to take her away for a bit, and leave River here with you to investigate this."

"So, Amy's your new companion?" Jack asked.

"Amy has been with me for a few of her years," the Doctor replied. "She and Rory spent their wedding night on the TARDIS a few earth years ago. You should be aware that their daughter, River, has some… interesting qualities as a result of her unusual conception on the TARDIS." Jack looked intrigued, "She's a Time Lord. Of sorts."

"A Time Lord?" Jack gasped.

"Of sorts" the Doctor continued. "She's human, and a Time Lord, and my wife. Maybe."

"Your… WIFE? You're MARRIED?" Jack looked shocked and crestfallen.

"Maybe." The Doctor replied, confused by Jack's reaction. "It may not have happened. We were married in a timeline that no longer exists. We remember it, but it didn't happen. But she's still my wife. I think. Maybe. Or maybe not. I haven't really taken the time to sort it out…"

The men stopped their conversation as the ladies returned and took their seats.

"Is he wondering about his marital status again" River asked, taking a sip of her wine and turning to the Doctor, "We've been married for 183 years."

"Um… three weeks," the Doctor corrected her.

"For you maybe, for me it's been 183 years." Leaning towards him she winked and added in a low voice, "Just wait until our first anniversary. And Sweetie, bring two bottles of champagne!" She kissed his cheek and sat back into her chair.

Amy looked at the baffled Jack, "they're on separate timelines." She explained. "They keep meeting out of order."

"How does that work?" Jack said, shaking his head in confusion.

"It doesn't matter" River replied. "Just think of it as a big game. That's what I do."

The Doctor gave her a reproachful look and finished his drink. "If we're all about finished here, perhaps Jack can show us Torchwood?" He asked, effectively changing the subject.

Jack looked briefly uncomfortable, "Strictly speaking, civilians aren't allowed to know about us, much less see our facilities."

The Doctor looked affronted, "River and I are Time Lords, and Amy is a Time Traveller, which hardly makes us civilians!" He burst out.

Jack seemed to consider that, and nodded his head. "Alright, let's go. Please remember this is a covert organization, and not something to be shared with _anyone_."

They drained their cups and the four of them stood and walked out. Twilight had moved into night, and they emerged out of the pub into the balmy darkness. Jack lead them left across the street and paralleled the plaza coming to a stop in front of a towering mirrored structure. He stepped up onto a square section of the walk that seemed different somehow than the surrounding walk, gesturing for them to join him.

"This is the tourist entrance" he said with a smirk, ignoring the glare the Doctor shot in his direction.

As they settled onto the square, it began to descend. Amy briefly lost her balance and the Doctor grasped her to him to keep her from falling over. The fragrance of strawberries that he always associated with Amy surrounded him, and briefly closing his eyes, he took in the scent with a deep breath.

They slowly dropped into an enormous cavern, Amy gaping in amazement at everything, and River examining everything with a calculated eye. The Doctor seemed bored only to those who did not know him well.

As they settled at the bottom, something flew over them, the Doctor, Amy and River ducked instinctively as Jack chuckled. "That's our pet pterodactyl…" he looked across the floor calling to pretty blonde woman, "Esther, did we every come up with a name for her?"

"It's a him, and no. I think we should call him Perry…" She replied

Another pretty dark haired woman interrupted "I dunno, he seems more like a Rover to me." She walked forward holding her hand out, "I'm Gwen, and you are?" she looked curiously at each of the three strangers, her eyes appearing to take in every detail.

Jack stepped down pointing to each in turn, "This is River, Amy, and The Doctor." He introduced them.

They heard a scoff behind them and turned. A handsome, dark skinned man stared openly at the Doctor. "THE Doctor?" He asked skeptically.

Jack chuckled and replied, "The very one." He turned to the three and gesturing to his team as he introduced them, "Doctor, River, Amy, this is Esther, Gwen, and Rex."

"I'm sure there's a good reason you brought three civilians here?" Rex asked after briefly nodding at his introduction.

"You're American?" River asked stepping forward and putting out her hand to shake his. He eyed it suspiciously without taking it. River withdrew her hand and continued. "I spent several years of my childhood in The States. Florida, and then New York where I first regenerated, I was so young. A toddler really, I remember everything was very-very big." She smirked as she saw her flirting crack the front Rex had been trying to maintain, as his eyes widened in disbelief.

She turned her back to him and walked back to Jack, the Doctor and Amy. "Fascinating place you have here, perhaps you could show me around?" she asked Jack in her sweetest voice.

The Doctor cleared his throat, "I think Amy and I will forego the tour, we really must be leaving." He turned to embrace River, "I will leave you in, ah - Jack's very capable hands." He released her and whispered, "You're armed, right?"

"Always" she replied with a smirk, giving Jack a knowing wink.

The Doctor turned back to a confused Amy, "We're going on a little trip, and will meet back up with River later."

"Be good." Amy admonished River while hugging her fiercely.

Once again, River smirked "Always."


	6. Diamas Prime

To the Doctor's annoyance, River insisted that she and Jack escort them back to the TARDIS. After more hugs and farewells, they stepped away from Jack and River and went to the TARDIS.

"So, we're travelling?" Amy asked the Doctor as he unlocked the TARDIS.

"Yes, for a bit." he fondly patted the door as he held it open for Amy to step through. "There are some things I always wanted to show you, and you seem to need a change of scenery right about now." He glanced back at River and Jack, nodding to them, and then followed Amy into the TARDIS.

"So," River turned to Jack "he told you he may have made a mistake?"

Jack hesitated before nodding, and then asked River, "Do you buy it?"

"Not at all," she smirked. "I don't suppose you have any means of following them?"

"I might have something" Jack grinned back at her. "Do you have any idea where they're headed?"

"I have a few ideas." She smiled winningly back at him, and then hooked her arm through him and they walked back to Torchwood.

Amy and the Doctor entered the TARDIS and went straight to the control room. Once at the controls, the Doctor began to flip levers, turn dials and dance about the controls in an almost maniacal fashion. They both lurched as they took off to places unknown. A bemused Amy watched his antics. "Arrerrreeegown?" She asked, yawning.

The Doctor looked at her, startled. "Come again?"

"Sorry about that" Amy smothered another yawn. "I was trying to ask where we're going. I guess I'm more tired than I realized."

The Doctor looked briefly embarrassed, "I, er… deleted your old room. There are new ones though, so go ahead and pick one out, although none have bunk beds." He finished in a hurry when he saw the pain in Amy's eyes and the reminder of the bunk bed in the room she and Rory shared during their time on the TARDIS. Taking two long steps, he closed the gap that separated them, and took her into his arms. "Amy, I'm so-so-so-so sorry about Rory." He mumbled into her hair, breathing in her scent of strawberries he kissed the top of her head.

Amy leaned into him and took a shuddering breath.

"Do you have a bedroom?" She asked him.

"Why would you ask that? Of course I do." The Doctor seemed bewildered by her question.

"I've never seen you sleep, I didn't know if you needed a bedroom." She explained.

"I sleep," he explained. "I just don't need as much sleep as humans."

"Can I sleep in your room?" Amy asked him.

"Ah. Well, I'm not sure that is such a good…" he trailed off as a brief look of shame came to his face.

Amy looked at him confused, noticing that his ears had blushed bright pink.

The Doctor mumbled something before speaking up, "It's rather messy right now" he admitted reluctantly.

Amy giggled, "I don't mind." She stifled another yawn.

The Doctor stepped back to the controls, flipped a few levers and the TARDIS shuddered and seemed to come to a stop. He turned back and motioned for Amy to follow him. She followed him down a hall she had never noticed before. He opened a door and turned "We have to take a little detour. The swimming pool relocated itself to the hall ahead and it's blocking the way."

They went into a maintenance room, through a closet door which opened into a passageway. They walked through it and the Doctor slid aside a panel which exited into a squash court.

"Where are we?" Amy asked looking around amazed.

"Like I said, we're taking a little detour." The Doctor replied.

They walked across the court and he slid another panel on the wall to reveal another passageway. They stepped into it and after a brief walk stepped through another door which exited into the hall just past the pool.

"There are days I think that pool has a mind of its own, and a terrible sense of humor," the Doctor said to Amy. As they walked away from it they heard a distinctive slosh of water behind them, as if the pool was responding to the Doctors words.

A short ways further they came to a bright green door. "It's messy," he reminded Amy as he opened the door. They stepped into the room and Amy stared around amazed. There were clothes scattered everywhere, and no fewer than 12 pairs of braces hanging off what looked like a trapeze hanging in the middle of the room. The floor was covered in grass, along the far wall was a bed pushed up against it. The wall itself was an enormous panoramic window that clearly looked outside of the TARDIS.

"You have a window?" Amy asked him incredulously.

"Not exactly, it's a video projection set in a giant window frame." He pointed at the projection, "That is actually what is outside right now. There are cameras on the outside of the TARDIS streaming live to this screen. I got the idea from someone I know back on earth that uses something similar to keep an eye on his son."

Amy gazed out at the universe around them as she walked over and sat on the corner of the bed. "Would you stay with me until I fall asleep?" She asked tentatively.

The Doctor looked into her eyes. The sadness in them overwhelmed him and he nodded. She kicked off her shoes and crawled into the bed facing the window. He waited until she settled herself in, and then situated himself next to her. She was on her side facing the wall. He spooned against her putting his arm over her waist. She snuggled back against him and once again the fragrance of strawberries filled his head as he breathed in the intoxicating scent from her hair. His eyes closed and he felt warmth spread through his body.

The feeling was foreign to him. It took him a moment to realize what it was. Comfort.

In all of his almost thousand years of existence, he had never before experienced the level of comfort he now felt with Amy. Most recently he had come close to this with Rose, and while he was genuinely fond or River, he recognized that he would never have this type of complete and total trust and comfort in her that he felt in the amazing woman he held next to him.

He felt Amy relax against him as she stared transfixed out at the starry night, "Can we see home from here?" she asked quietly in a sleepy voice.

The Doctor looked out to orient himself with the familiar constellations. He pointed up towards the left corner, "See that bright star there?" Amy nodded. "Count two of the more dim stars over to the left, and that's your sun."

Amy shifted slightly, following where he gestured. She kept her gaze there as she slowly drifted to sleep. The Doctor felt her twitch slightly in his arms before her body relaxed completely and her breathing became regular.

When she began to softly snore the Doctor felt himself relax, and slowly drifted into his own sleep.

The Doctor woke after a few hours, to find Amy snoring against his chest, their legs intertwined and her arm flung across his abdomen. He carefully extracted himself from her, making sure not to wake her. He stood over her and watched her sleep for several minutes, he felt a tender protectiveness come over him, and he tried to identify his feelings. He grappled with those thoughts while he slipped into his shoes, and not having come to any conclusion he quietly made his way out of his room and back to the control room.

Once at the controls re-engaged the TARDIS. Giving her a fond pat on the console, he spoke "Good morning Sexy." he paused. He knew the TARDIS could hear him, but he still occasionally felt odd speaking to her knowing she couldn't speak back. "We have Amy back with us and she's had a rough go of it lately, so let's be nice to her for a while, alright?" The space-time throttle moved itself down in what he hoped was a sign of agreement on the part of his Old Girl.

During the brief time the TARDIS was corporeal, she had complained about him always bringing strays along with him. He got the impression that she tolerated his companions the same way he had tolerated Captain Jack Harkness in the past. He just hoped that there weren't any pranks on Amy this time. The last time Amy and Rory had travelled with him, the TARDIS moved their room every day for the first 6 months. The young couple never knew where they would be waking up each morning. The day they opened their door to find that they had been moved to the bottom of the pool was the day they asked the Doctor to install a communication system so they could check first in the mornings, thus avoiding another unexpected wall of cold water hitting them in the face while they were still half asleep.

The Doctor entered the coordinates for their destination, and then absentmindedly flipped switches, pulled levers, and pushed buttons. His mind dwelled on the feel of Amy in his arms. He shook his head as if to clear it and bring him back to the task at hand. He looked around and realized he had completed everything, despite being barely aware of his actions. He double checked his settings to be sure he hadn't inadvertently set the TARDIS to materialize in the center of a sun, and satisfied with what he saw he returned to his previous thoughts.

Or more accurately, whom he had been thinking of. Amy. She never ceased to amaze him, his brilliant and beautiful Amelia Pond. But now she was hurting, and he felt helpless. This was not a feeling he was comfortable with and he wondered if he was overreacting by taking Amy away from her home to help her heal. He knew that she would never get over the loss of Rory, but the sight of Amy broken and empty was more than he could bear. He had to help her remember how to live for herself.

The Doctor found himself wandering the halls of the TARDIS as he turned these thoughts over in his head. Amy would be waking soon, so he headed towards the hall that led to his room. As he entered the hall, he was delighted to discover that the pool had once again moved itself, and was no longer blocking the way. He was wondering where it had moved itself to this time as he walked into his room.

His hearts thudded in his chest loudly as he looked at his bed, filled with a warm, sleeping Amy Pond. He slipped out of his shoes and eased himself next to her. In her sleep, her face had relaxed. The pain and grief were banished by the bliss brought on by sleep, and she looked young and peaceful.

"Amy?" He stroked her hair back away from her face. "Wake up Amy." He continued to stroke her hair, and kissed the top of her head.

"Mmmmmmmm" Amy murmured in response to his query.

"Amy, open your eyes. We're almost there." He whispered into her ear.

Gooseflesh broke out across her skin and her eyes struggled to open. "Where?" She asked.

"Diamas Prime, the liquid diamond planet of the Chryston system." He replied, and gesturing to the wall he continued, "Look."

Amy's eyes flew open as memories from the evening before flooded her mind. She sat up, turned towards the wall and gasped.

"I thought you should see the view from out here in space before we go down to the planet." The Doctor explained. Leaning forward and resting his chin on her shoulder bringing his arm up next to her to indicate their destination below. "It's a planet covered in a liquid diamond ocean. See the islands scattered across it? The beaches are made up of the sand from solid diamond rocks, beaten into sand from more than a trillion years of diamond waves crashing into them."

Below them, a planet glittered in the velvet sky into which it was hung. The colors seemed to shimmer like a kaleidoscope as the light from the solar system's blue sun reflected off of it. From this perspective they could see the lights of red, yellow, and green auroras pulsing at the poles.

"It's beautiful" Amy whispered.

"Wait until you see it up close!" The Doctor chortled. He pulled Amy up out of bed with him, grabbed her hand and began to pull her across the room.

"Doctor?" Amy asked laughing, "can I shower and have breakfast first?"

"Oh. Yes. Of course. That's probably a good idea. I'll just go… fix something up while you do that, and breakfast will be waiting for you in the kitchen!" The Doctor was embarrassed that he hadn't considered her needs first.

Amy padded barefoot into the kitchen, her hair still wet. The Doctor handed her a glass of juice and some toast with marmalade.

"No tea?" She asked.

"Well, it seems you don't particularly like my tea" the Doctor reminded her. "I can make some if you'd like?"

"No, I'll get it!" Amy replied, putting a kettle on and pulling some cups out from the cupboard.

"What's it like down there?" She asked. "Warm? Cold? Are there other people? Can we swim in the ocean?" Amy wasn't sure what it would be like to swim in liquid diamonds, but she was eager to try it out.

"It's warm, rather tropical. Yes, you can swim. In fact, the specific density of the oceans is so great that not only can you swim, but you absolutely cannot drown. You can submerge yourself in the water, and you will simply float along the top as if being held up by billions of tiny bubbles. There are ways to dive down into the depths of the ocean, but they require gizmos and gadgets you need to wear to sufficiently weigh you down." The Doctor explained. "As for people, the indigenous life forms run resorts on the larger islands. They actually live under the ocean, but as you will soon discover, they are uniquely suited to move about on both land and in the ocean."

"I thought people couldn't easily go into the ocean, just float on the top?" Amy asked.

The Doctor smiled, "As I said, the Diamans are uniquely suited to go into the ocean."

Amy was afire with curiosity now, so she gulped down her breakfast while finishing the tea so she could see for herself what the Doctor was hinting at.

The TARDIS came to rest in a courtyard of a sunny resort. As they stepped out, Amy looked around, and up. She was reminded of pictures she had once seen of the Jumeirah Resort in Dubai. An impossibly high mirrored building curved and twisted above her. She was given the impression of an enormous wave, frozen as it curled over them just before the point of breaking. The sandy ground sloped gently to the ocean, the sand glittering in an echo of the kaleidoscope of colors they had seen from space. The ocean glittered mostly blue, with flashes of crimson, emerald, and colors Amy didn't have a name for.

"Wow." She breathed.

The Doctor gestured towards the ocean, and she was surprised to see creatures swimming to the shore. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and blinked again.

"Doctor, are those… Mermaids?" She asked dazed.

The creatures from the torso up were clearly men. Men such as she had never seen before. They could all be movie stars and models. Their handsome beauty took her breath away. From the torso down however, they were clearly fish. As they came closer she could see more details. More like dolphins, she realized. As they neared the shore they appeared to stand up in the water. Amy gasped as the lower extremities of the creatures seemed to melt into legs, and the men strode up onto the sand.

"Mermen, actually. But don't let them hear you say that, they prefer to be called Diamans, or Diamen. I suppose you could consider them partial shape shifters; only the legs of course." The Doctor looked sideways at Amy. "They are the source of the earth legends of Mermaids and Mermen. While most Diaman don't like to travel from their world, there are those that are explorers, and they have been to earth. They didn't stay long as the saltwater oceans of earth were not as comfortable for them as the liquid diamond oceans here. They were there long enough to be seen by enough people to start the stories of Mermaids among the seagoing people in your history."

Amy's head was spinning and the Doctor took her arm and guided her into the lobby of the resort. She numbly followed his lead, and she became acutely aware that for the people around her there didn't seem to be a dress code of any kind, other than no dress. She realized that the few people she did see wearing any form of clothing must be tourists.

"I'm staying a tourist. I don't care what you say!" She whispered to the Doctor. She gestured with her eyes and chin and the beautiful naked people walking about unaware of her embarrassment.

"Ah," the Doctor understood her discomfiture. "Strictly speaking, the Diamen are the only ones who, ah, have a clothing optional attitude. There are a few guests who follow the example, but most guests dress as they feel comfortable."

Amy breathed a sigh of relief. She followed the Doctor as he went to a desk to check them in. She tried averting her eyes from these statuesque people, but realized that if they were comfortable then she should not be uncomfortable at least looking. She did try not to stare, but did enjoy what she decided to view as the scenery.

She suddenly realized that she and the Doctor were being escorted into a suite of rooms. She had been so busy enjoying the scenery she had been unaware of getting checked in and making their way to their rooms. She stared mutely at the wall for a moment.

"Oh my" she uttered.

The Doctor turned to her in slight alarm, "Amy? Are you….?"

"I'm fine Doctor, just learning to enjoy my surroundings." She finished a little breathless.

"OK" the Doctor still looked uncertain at Amy's sudden change in demeanor. He walked to her and placed his hand in the small of her back, and gently guided her to the balcony. The stepped out onto it and he heard her gasp as she took in the view before them.

Before them spread out a panoramic view of shifting colors as far as the eye could see, below them the shifting colors of the sand blended into the brilliant liquid gems of the sea. The sun was setting through a seamless rainbow of colors into the sea. The stars winking into wakefulness were mirrored in the diamond sea, becoming part of the shifting light and colors.

"Oh Doctor," Amy paused. "I'd say it's beautiful, but that doesn't seem like enough. It's more than beautiful. I don't know the right word for it."

"Beautiful is good Amelia Pond. Beautiful works." The Doctor smiled down at her. The Doctor put his arm around her shoulders and guided her back into the suite.

"I thought you said you had a way to follow them?" River asked impatiently.

"Keep it in your pants, I'm working on it!" Jack replied angrily. "I already told you the Vortex Manipulator has been offline for a few years, and it was broken before that. It'll take a while to fix."

"Feisty." River remarked as she looked back at him, one eyebrow cocked.

"Don't you forget it!" Jack smirked back.


	7. Waters of Diamas

Once again the Doctor awoke after only a few hours of sleep to find Amy asleep on his chest and their limbs intimately intertwined. This had made him uncomfortable the first time it happened, and he was disconcerted to discover that he was not only becoming accustomed to it, but enjoying waking this way.

Amy had asked for him to stay with her the night before; he explained to her that he didn't need sleep. That while he did sleep, he did not require as much, or as often as she did. When her eyes began to water and her lips tremble, he reassured her that he would stay with her until she fell asleep. Was this to become their normal routine, he wondered? Their days to be filled with exploration and discovery of the island, and the nights were filled with him holding this amazing woman in his arms while she slept. He wasn't sure how Amy would feel knowing that he had spent his waking hours the night before just watching her before once again drifting off into his own short sleep.

Once again he extracted himself from her gently so as not to wake her. He gazed down on her for a moment, and then quietly slipped into the adjoining room where the TARDIS was parked. The night before, some guests had complained to management that what they believed to be a bath house was always locked. When the management had approached him about it, he agreed to relocate it. He failed to mention to them that he was bringing it into the suite.

He entered the TARDIS, he and Amy had their first swim today and he needed to find suitable garb. Finding something for Amy would be easy, he wasn't so sure about himself. He turned left into the first hall, took the second right, turned at the third left, ducked under the stairs and made his way to the fifth door on the left where the wardrobe was located. Surely at some point in time someone had left a man's bathing suit in there. He began to sift through the drawers, wondering why all those years ago he thought it was a good idea to sort the clothing here by color, and disregard the sizes or types of garment. He was on the eighth drawer when he found a men's bathing suit. He stared at it dumbfounded. How had it gotten there, and who would have put something like this in a drawer? After a moment, he remembered where it had come from, and he began to laugh. He admitted to himself that the laugh had something of an evil tone. He would change into this when he and Amy dressed to go swimming.

After stashing the suit in his own room, he made his way back out to wake Amy. As he stepped out of the TARDIS, he was surprised to find her standing on the balcony, he back to him as she gazed out at the morning sky.

"You're awake early" the Doctor commented, walking towards her.

Amy jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, her hands coming up to her face to wipe it off before turning to face him. He could see that she had been crying. He closed the distance between them and folded her into a hug.

"I miss him so much," she sobbed into his shoulder. "I just want him here with me to see all of this."

"Amy-Amy-Amy," the Doctor tightened the hug and kissed the top of her head. "You may not see him, but he is here with you. He will always be a part of who you are, you just need to remember that."

"It's not the same Doctor, I want him here and I feel empty without him. When I woke up, I got up to find him before remembering he was gone. A dozen times a day I turn to ask him a question, and then remember that he will never be there again." She drew a shuddering breath, pushed back from the Doctor and her head hung down as she wiped the last of the tears from her face. "It seems most of the time all I do is remember he's gone."

"It will get better, I promise." The Doctor reassured her. "It won't be this minute, but it will."

He put a finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "I promise." He repeated. "Now, let's get breakfast. We've got a big day ahead of us."

The Doctor guided her back into the room, set her down at the table and made his way over to the communication link. "Breakfast for two, and a packed lunch for two!" He spoke into the receiver. There was a chime then the sound of the communication link disconnecting.

Amy looked at him curiously, "Why a packed lunch?"

"We've got a busy day, swimming, hiking, things like that. Touristy things for us to do, wearing touristy clothing and such. Unless you've decided you want to go native?" He looked sideways at her to check her response. He almost chuckled at the look of horror that came across her face at the thought of naked swimming and hiking.

"Umm, Doctor? Do you have a swim suit?" Amy asked almost embarrassedly.

"Of course I do," he replied indignantly. "I'm prepared for anything!"

A knock came at the door and the Doctor went to answer it. A magnificently beautiful, and completely naked man, pushed a rolling breakfast cart into the room. Breakfast was set out on one side of the cart, and a lunch basket sat on the other.

Amy blushed furiously but didn't turn away, remembering her decision the day before to enjoy the scenery. She felt herself blush further when she realized the Doctor was amused with her reaction. He thanked the attendant and showed him back to the door. Turning back there was a slight smirk on his face.

"Problem?" He asked her. She shook her head as he served up her breakfast. Glancing at her sideways he continued, "If you'd like I could ask him to come ba…"

"No!" she almost shouted, and then caught herself. "That's quite alright. We're fine!"

He chuckled as he sat down to join her. They ate their breakfast in silence. Amy puzzled her way through the meal; the food was a mystery to her. What she though was a piece of fruit had a flavor and texture of something like pasta, with a yellow-orange chunky filling reminding her of cheese, mushroom and spinach. What she thought was a slice of toast was clearly a slice of some type of sliced fruit that reminded her of bananas. She hesitantly took a drink of tea and was relieved that it was just tea. A bit strong, but tea nonetheless.

Amy pushed back from the table and stood. "Swim suits?" she asked the Doctor.

"If you don't have anything in your bags, you should be able to find something in the wardrobe," he gestured towards the TARDIS. "I'll just go to my room to change and meet you back here."

Amy walked to her room and pulled her bag up onto the bed and began to dig through it looking for a swimsuit. She found a green bikini that, by earth standards was modest. By the standards of Diamas it was positively Victorian. Smiling sadly to herself, she remembered that Rory had told her he liked it because it matched her green eyes. Changing quickly, she made her way back to the other room to stop dumbfounded at the image before her.

"What the hell are you wearing?" She managed to choke out between her laughter.

The Doctor had changed into a swimsuit. From the horizontal red and white stripes, and the fact that it covered more of him than her suit covered of her, he looked like he had stepped out of the 1880's.

"This is my swimsuit," the Doctor managed to look affronted despite holding in his own laughter. He was pleased that this stunt had managed to shock Amy out of her earlier melancholy.

"Where….?" Amy wasn't even trying to contain her laughter at the image the Doctor presented.

"I was an honorary member of the Brighton Swim Club in the summer in 1875; Johnny Camp brought me along with him that summer. Wonderful man. Great swimmer. Only had one leg. Not great for a foot race but would leave you behind swimming across the river. We were going to swim the channel together the following summer, but he died. You would've liked him." The Doctor said in his typical rushed fashion.

Amy stared at him, dazed. "So, you're really wearing that?"

"Of course, this swimsuit is cool!" the Doctor proclaimed. He handed Amy a couple towels, grabbed a beach blanket, and their lunch basked, and held the door open. "The sea awaits!" Shaking her head in amusement, Amy stepped out and followed the Doctor down to the beach.

The sun was still low in the morning sky, and a warm tropical breeze lazed through the trees and caressed their skin. Despite the warm day Amy broke out in goose bumps as the breeze caressed her body in an almost sensual fashion. She clutched the towels to her chest, attempting to hide her body's response to the intimate touch of the breeze. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks, and hoped nobody noticed.

They made their way down the beach to a row of large umbrellas rising from small tables, each one casting shade over a pair of beach chairs. The Doctor spoke briefly with an attractive native, and Amy felt a flash of jealousy that surprised her. Was she jealous of the naked young woman the Doctor was speaking of? Was she suddenly possessive of her best friend? Or was it something else? The feeling confused her, and she pushed it aside as the Doctor led them to a set of chairs he had procured for the day.

"Here we are," the Doctor announced. He set the lunch basket on the table and spread the blanket out in the sun behind the chairs. He then reached into the basket and pulled out sunscreen.

"We want to put this on if we expect to stay out here for long. The sun here is stronger than you're used to." He explained. He poured some into his hand and motioned Amy to turn around so he could apply it to her back. She complied, and pulled aside her hair for the Doctor to spread the sunscreen onto her back. As he gently rubbed the lotion into her skin, she felt her gooseflesh return and became aware of warmth spreading outward from low in her belly. A blush again found its way to her cheeks and her mind began to imagine those hands doing so much more. She jolted back to awareness when the Doctor cleared his throat.

"My turn now?" The Doctor asked, giving Amy an odd look.

Amy was mortified. She had no idea how long she had stood there lost in the erotic daydream brought about by the Doctor's hands on her back. She mumbled something, then poured some of the lotion into her hand and applied it to what little skin that was uncovered on his back. She was unsettled at the response she had experienced, and was surprised at her disappointment that he did not have more skin showing for her to rub the lotion into. She shook her head clear of her wandering thoughts and applied herself to the task. She was noted how muscular the doctor actually was. When dressed he appeared so slim, but the clothes he wore covered a tone and attractive body. She thought back to all the running she had done with the doctor, and realized the reason for the shape he was in. She stepped away when she finished poured lotion into her hand for the rest of her skin and handed the bottle back to him. They both finished the rest of the coverage, and then sat back in the chairs.

"So, what do I need to know about swimming in diamonds?" Amy asked.

"It's different than water," the Doctor answered unhelpfully, and then continued when Amy raised her eyebrows. "You won't get wet, like you do in water. Well, you will. But you won't. It's like bathing in champagne bubbles. Except it isn't bubbles. Actually it's not like that at all. Forget the bubbles."

The Doctor stood and held out his hand, "Come along Pond and let's show you what swimming in diamonds is like!"

Amy took his hand and they ran down to meet the sea. At the surf's edge, they slowed to a walk as they felt the waves lap over their toes. The sensation was like nothing she had felt before. It wasn't the smooth wet of water, but like individual diamond molecules were liquefied together. She was able to move through it as smoothly as she cut through water, but she could feel the molecules roll smoothly across her skin.

"It's all rolley over my skin." Amy commented.

"Yes, rolley!" The Doctor exclaimed, grinning at her. "That's what I was trying to say with the bubbles!"

They both laughed and made their way into the water. When they wadded out to chest deep on Amy, they kicked off the bottom and were held up by the sea as they swam. The buoyancy was as the Doctor had described to Amy the day before. They swam effortlessly out from shore to where the swelling waves allowed them to body surf back into the shore.

The two played in the surf like carefree children, their laughter carrying onto shore and their antics soon mimicked by other tourists. When the sun was heading into the afternoon, they made their way out of the sea and back up to their chairs. With each step out of the sea, the liquid diamonds rolled out of their hair and off their skin, leaving them completely dry by the time they reached their umbrella. They flopped into their chairs, breathless and still laughing.

"It's good to hear you really laugh again," the Doctor remarked, watching Amy carefully out of the corner of his eye while he rummaged through their lunch basket, handing her a bottle of water, a slice of the banana-like fruit, and a sandwich.

"I've not had much to laugh about lately, but it feels good." Amy replied soberly. She looked at the bottled water. "This is water, right?" she teased him.

"Yes Amy, it is water." The Doctor sighed exasperatedly.

They ate in relative silence, watching the other tourists frolicking in the surf. Amy was unaware of the Doctor keeping a careful eye on her, watching to see if her melancholy would return. When she finished eating, she turned to him.

"What next? More fun in the surf or are we doing something else?" She waited for his reply as he finished the last of his banana-fruit.

"That's entirely up to you," he answered. "We can stay here and enjoy the sea and the sun, or we could hike back up into the hills where there is a yellow diamond waterfall. The liquid diamonds plummet over a black diamond ridge and fall a hundred thousand feet into an emerald green rainforest ravine. The spray from the waterfall is like watching a live kaleidoscope, ever changing and dazzling anyone who wishes to make the hike up to see it!"

"How far is this hike?" Amy asked

"Only about 10 kilometers." The Doctor replied.

Amy considered the day, and how tired she was already getting after the morning of swimming and playing in the sea.

"Let's save that for tomorrow, and stay here for the rest of the day, shall we?" she answered, the Doctor nodded in agreement.

The two friends spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the sea and resting in the sun on the beach. Slowly Amy began to feel like maybe she would eventually be right again. She still hurt, but she could see where she might be able to be herself again someday. She realized that she was re-learning how to live. Live without Rory, but live nonetheless.

"Finally!" Jack proclaimed. He had finally gotten the Vortex Manipulator working, and he had taken a test trip to London and back.

River hugged him impulsively, "I knew you could do it." She leaned over and kissed him full on the mouth. "Alright, let's get going, I have a few ideas where he may have headed."

Jack gave her a speculative look, he had a few ideas about where he would like to head with her, but he would need to take that slowly. He programmed in the destination information she gave him and they disappeared together into the vortex.


	8. On The Road Again

"I thought you said it was only a 10 kilometer hike?" Amy asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.

The Doctor looked back at her, "I may have underestimated it." He admitted sheepishly.

Amy had awakened with the sun, and after breakfast and ordering another packed lunch, the two had gotten an early start on their hike. The trail to the falls meandered up a gentle slope under the canopy of the rainforest zigzagging along the side of the mountain. The infrequent breaks in the canopy delighted Amy with shifting rainbow sprays reflecting through the light morning mist. As the morning progressed and the mist evaporated, the trail under the canopy provided cool relief to the tropical sun. The forest itself brought to mind pictures of the Brazilian Rainforest in South America that Amy had seen as a child. The trunks of the trees were as big around as a bus, soaring hundreds of meters towards the sky, ropey vines as thick as her leg draped between the branches and connected the trees in a natural tether, and the tree branches shading whole acres of land. The leaves were unlike anything Amy had ever seen, as big as umbrellas and shimmering translucent green-blue with the sunlight shining from above them. The wide sandy path cut a silver ribbon between the emerald green undergrowth, which was broken only occasionally by large sparkling diamond boulders of varying colors.

"Doctor, what're those?" Amy asked, gesturing to clusters of large oblong fruit hanging off the smaller trees found in the canopy breaks.

"Those are Salt Fruits," the Doctor explained. "The fruit we are served with our meals? These are those. It's the only source of sodium on Diamas, and it grows plentiful on all of the islands on the planet. It's actually related to breadfruit back on earth." The Doctor paused to take a breath.

"How…" Amy began staring at him astounded. "How did a fruit from here get back to earth?"

The Doctor chuckled. "You have it backwards. The Diamen actually brought it back here from Earth. They genetically altered it such that it could grow here, and it has been growing and evolving here for more generations than you could count. Once the Diamen had the right combination to the genetic code of the tree, it took off lickety-split. The rest, they say, is history!"

Amy shook her head in amazement, and walked over to one of the trees; setting her hand on the trunk she felt that at least something here in this amazing world was a link to her home. She turned back to the trail, and they continued their hike.

It was mid-day by the time they broke out of the forest into a blue grassy field that sloped down to the banks of a river along the top of the waterfall. An impossibly wide golden yellow river lazed towards the obsidian cliff before tumbling over and plunging a hundred thousand feet into the emerald green valley below. The muted roar of the falls drifted up to their ears, a mere whisper of the thunder of its final crash below.

The doctor grabbed Amy's hand and began pulling her towards the cliff, "C'mon!" He beckoned her.

They jogged a short distance to an observation point fenced off next to the river along the edge of the cliff. Below them spread out an impossibly green forest sloping down to the beach and the resort. They could see out across the ocean, several other islands in the distance. The morning sun danced on the waves creating a riot of ever-shifting colors. Looking down towards the bottom of the falls, Amy was treated to the living rainbow kaleidoscope the Doctor had described the day before.

"Wow." Amy whispered.

"Remarkable, isn't it?" The Doctor asked, Amy nodded mutely and he continued. "The sunlight bouncing back off the black diamonds of the cliff causes…"

Amy put her hand over his mouth. "I don't want to know why Doctor; I just want to enjoy it." The Doctor looked momentarily hurt, but nodded in return and let Amy enjoy the spectacle below.

Amy stood in silence, drinking in the view before her. She started to reach back her hand and half turn as if to call someone to her when she stopped herself. Her body went momentarily rigid before turning back to the view below. The Doctor didn't have to ask, he knew she had been going to call Rory to come share the view with her. He put an arm over her shoulder and hugged her gently to his side. She leaned into him and he felt her shoulders slump briefly before gathering herself back together and straightening up. He kissed the top of her head, the fragrance of strawberries filling his senses and making him more keenly aware of the remarkable woman next to him. He pulled his arm back off her shoulders and stepped away, taking the pack off his back and rummaging through it. He handed Amy a bottle of water and taking one himself, he walked over to a bench a short ways away. Amy followed him silently.

The two seated themselves on the bench and Amy reached into the pack, "Hungry?" She asked him, handing him a sandwich. Their hands brushed as the sandwich passed between them, and the Doctor held back a gasp. The contact elicited an almost electric current between them, making him very much aware of how very feminine and beautiful Amy was to him.

"Thank you," he said, almost jerking his hand back. Amy looked curiously at him, his reaction confusing her. She briefly thought back to her reaction to the Doctor's hands on her back the day before, and dropped her eyes back to the food. She was more careful handing him the fruit, and then settled herself back to enjoy her lunch.

The two sat companionably eating their lunch, occasionally pointing out something they noticed in their surroundings to the other. Amy spied a group of hikers emerge from the forest across the river, and make their way over to a structure along the cliff she had not previously noticed. She pointed them out to the Doctor.

"Ah yes, the thrill seekers," he remarked. Seeing her curiosity was peaked, he continued, "There are other ways down off the mountain besides the trails, should you choose. The structure you see over there is the top of the zip line, which will take you above the canopy down to the shore. On this side of the river, back that way" he gestured over his right shoulder, "is a place where you can rappel down the cliff."

He looked speculatively at Amy, "Do you want to give it a go?"

Amy paled, shaking her head frantically, "No!" She seemed unable to say anything else, so the Doctor reassured her that they would take the trail back down.

"Why?" the Doctor asked gently when Amy had regained her composure.

"Something could go wrong. I couldn't stand it if I lost you too." Amy said quietly, her head hanging down.

The Doctor pulled Amy to him, gently rocking her. He bent down to kiss the top of her head just as Amy raised her face to him, their lips connected and electricity rippled through both of them. They jerked back from each other, Amy's eyes wide and blushing furiously, the Doctors eyes just as wide a look of shock on his face.

"Sorry!""Oops!" They spoke in unison, their eyes locked. They sat like that for several minutes, each cautiously appraising the reaction of the other.

Amy looked away first, and began to gather their trash and pack it into the sack, her face still scarlet. The Doctor's face took on a wistful, almost longing look that he quickly schooled back to neutral when she looked back at him.

Amy stood, "shall we head back down?" She asked tentatively as she picked up the pack. The Doctor stood and took the pack from her, slinging it across his back he nodded and headed back towards the trail. They made their way across the field and onto the winding trail and hiked down in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

The return hike took significantly less time than the hike up the mountain, and when they arrived back to their suite, Amy went into her room and closed the door behind her. The Doctor shook his head, mumbling to himself, made his way into the TARDIS.

"Stupid-stupid-stupid" he admonished himself, closing the TARDIS door behind him and banging his head against it.

In her room, Amy sat on her bed, sightlessly looking out her window. She touched her finger to her lips, remembering the kiss. Her shock had not been to the kiss itself, but her reaction to it. For that split moment, every atom in her had vibrated and sang joyously. The song inside her had been so loud; she wondered that the Doctor did not hear it. Her finger continued to tickle her lip remembering the kiss.

After meeting the Doctor in her childhood, she had developed an impossible crush for him. When he came back into her life that crush had reawakened. She had been in love with Rory, but the Doctor had always been the forbidden crush. He was the person she fancied, that she shouldn't. But what did that mean now? She was still grieving for her lost Rory, the unquestionable love of her life, but something inside her had awakened with the kiss this afternoon. Something she hadn't known was inside her.

Amy was unaware of how long she sat like that, lost in the thoughts of her remembered feelings. She was startled out of her reverie by a quiet knock at her door and became aware of the falling darkness outside.

"Amy?" the Doctor softly called to her through the door. Amy made her way to the door, composing herself before opening it. She looked curiously out at the Doctor, fighting to control her unexpected reaction to his proximity.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor began. "About, you know, earlier. At the top of the mountain. I'm sorry. It was an accident." He seemed to be having a difficult time meeting her eyes, and she noticed his ears were as scarlet as her face had felt earlier. With a sudden insight, she realized that his reaction to their accidental kiss had been the same for him as it had been for her, and like her he did not know what to do with that new-found flood of emotions.

"Are you hungry Doctor?" Amy asked him tentatively.

The question seemed to confuse him. "Erm…. Yes?" he replied.

"Why don't you order us some dinner and then you can tell me where we're going next?" Amy proposed.

The Doctor jumped at the chance to get back onto neutral ground with Amy, and made his way over to the communication link to place their order. His mind racing, he came back to where Amy was now seated.

He considered taking her to Kataa Flo Ko, but quickly dismissed that. Several of the moons of the Medusa Cascade were tempting, but he dismissed them. The next place had to be some place special. Some place even he hadn't been to yet, so they could both discover it for the first time, together.

"So?" Amy asked. "Where to next?"

"It's a surprise!" The Doctor countered.

Amy's lower lip pushed forward in a pout the Doctor found utterly adorable, "Just a little hint?" she pleaded. He shook his head, his eyes dancing with laughter. She fluttered her eyelashes at him, continuing to pout.

"OK, OK. A LITTLE hint. But that's all you're getting!" He scolded playfully.

Her face brightened expectantly.

"It will be cooler than here, and there are lots of trees." He didn't mention that he wouldn't give her any more information about their destination because he didn't know anything more himself.

"Unless you wish to stay here longer, we could leave tonight?" the Doctor proposed. Amy nodded in agreement as a knock came at the door announcing their meal had arrived.

They chatted through dinner, Amy trying to pry more information from him about their next destination, and the Doctor countering her inquiries skillfully changing the subject each time she brought it up. They finished the meal, and Amy went to her room to pack as the Doctor made arrangements with the resort for their departure. After making sure all her belongings were put away into the TARDIS, Amy made her way to the balcony to gaze once more out over the waters of Diamas. The Doctor joined her, placing an arm over her shoulders and pulling her into him. Amy's arm slipped around his waist, and the two friends leaned together like that for several minutes, drinking in the remarkable view before them. Taking a deep breath, the Doctor hugged Amy to him briefly and then headed into the TARDIS. Sighing inwardly to herself and with a final glance over her shoulder at the moonlight dancing on the waves, she joined him.

The TARDIS whirred to life and disappeared.

"Where the hell have you brought us?" River demanded of Jack. She looked bewildered about the teeming market place on the desert planet they had arrived at. This was NOT the destination she had given Jack.

"Right to the coordinates you gave me!" Jack countered. He successfully bluffed over the fact that he had substituted in the final coordinates with something slightly different. "New Berth, the year 5113!"

River turned to him incredulously. "New Berth? Are you mad?"

"You gave the coordinates, New Berth 5113!" Jack protested convincingly.

"New Earth. I said New Earth 5113." River rolled her eyes. Jack was obviously trying to hide something; she just wasn't sure what yet. The obviously false misunderstanding at the destination did intrigue her.

"Really?" Jack replied. "I, um… Whoops." He was never more glad that he was able to voluntarily blush than now. He just needed to find a way to manipulate her into the right circumstances for a seduction. He looked down at the vortex manipulator, pretending to fiddle with it while nonchalantly disabling it.

"Fine, new coordinates NEW EARTH 5113." River sighed in exasperation, pretending she hadn't notice him disengage the initiate screw. She had kept the fact that she was familiar with Vortex Manipulators to herself, figuring that at the right time she may need to use it without Jack's knowledge. She suspected she was going to need to seduce him to find out what he was hiding, and from what she had seen and learned about Jack she had no doubt that seducing him would be VERY satisfying.

"We're stuck here for a short bit," Jack looked up at her. "The Vortex manipulator needs to recharge, and it takes 24 hours. We might as well make ourselves at home until then." He looped his arm through hers. "Lucky for us, I've been here before. I know this great pub…"


	9. Timeywimy Spaceywacey Emotionywotiony

Timey-Wimey, Spacey-Wacey, Emotiony-Wotiony

"When you said cooler than here, did you mean 'WOW!' or did you mean 'grab your coat'?" Amy asked the Doctor as the TARDIS came to life and departed Diamas.

"What? Oh, cooler as in grab a sweater, you won't need a coat for the time of year we will be there. Unless you want to go there during the rainy season; although I can't think of why anyone would want that, it's all… rainy, and cold, and wet." The Doctor answered distractedly flipping levers, pushing buttons and twisting dials. He turned back to her, and shaking his hands on either side of his head he continued, "But, it's also 'WOW'. Everywhere is 'WOW'. If you know what to look for, 'WOW' is all around you, everywhere. All the time. Except on Sundays. Sundays are boring. Except when they're not. OK, Sunday's are only sometimes boring."

Amy continued to watch the Doctor, eventually she began to pace around the console, and finally wandered over and clambered up onto the chair along the rail where she sat fidgeting. "So, 'chilly WOW'. Got it. Where're we now?" She asked restlessly.

He looked across the console at her, slightly confused. "How do you mean?"

"Where. Are. We. Now?" She emphasized. "If I opened the door and we stepped out, where would we be?" Her long legs swung agitatedly as she continued to fidget.

"In the vortex. Nowhere. Space. Everywhere. But I wouldn't do that if I were you, the shields can't be extended in the vortex like they can in space, like when you stepped out before. You'd have nothing to breathe, and it would scatter your atoms across all of time and space." He flipped a final switch and made his way over to her. He stood in front of her, his legs against hers to quiet their frantic swinging and he took her hands in his. His hearts thudded loudly in his chest and there were butterflies low in his belly, but right now he needed to be a friend for her more than anything else. He did his best to put aside his reaction to the close proximity to Amy, and he looked down into her eyes.

"What's wrong Amy? Where is this coming from?" He asked her gently.

"I'm…" she replied her forehead wrinkled in frustration. "I feel, I dunno, all emotiony-wotiony and I can't seem to control it."

His eyebrows shot into his hairline, "Emotiony-wotiony?" he asked her incredulously.

"Oi! If you can be all timey-wimey and spacey-wacey, I can be emotiony-wotiony!" she replied indignantly, but a smile came briefly to her eyes at the ridiculousness of it all. She took a deep breath and blew it out harshly. "It feels like I'm lost, or it's the first day at a new school. I don't know how I should feel, but it's like I'm feeling everything all at once. When I feel happy, I feel guilty about being happy. Rory should be here with me, but he's gone. That hurts so much I can hardly bear it. But then I feel happy again, and I laugh. And that makes me afraid and sad, and guilty. What if I'm forgetting him, like before when he didn't exist? I don't want to ever forget him again. Not ever. But I feel as though if I'm happy, then I'm forgetting him." She took in a ragged breath looking up at him helplessly.

The Doctor folded her into a hug, rocking her softly. He inhaled in the scent of strawberries that was purely Amy. His head was swimming and he could feel warmth spreading through his body. He pushed it aside, focusing again on being a friend for Amy.

"You will never forget Rory like that again, I promise you." He whispered into her hair. Holding her head against his chest to prevent another unintended, although very much desired kiss, he pressed his lips onto her forehead and then held her back at arm's length. His knees felt weak, and he struggled to get himself under control.

Amy looked up, her eyes moist, but not quite crying. She looked up into his eyes and felt a jolt deep inside her at all of the emotion she saw there. There was compassion certainly, but so much more. It was like she could see infinity spreading out in front of her in his eyes. She could see the depth of an emotion he was unsuccessfully masking from her. Confused, she broke her eyes away quickly looking down. "You promise?" She asked weakly.

He put his finger under her chin and forced her face up to meet his eyes again. "I. Promise." He vowed.

"OK," Amy whispered shakily nodding her head. "OK."

She dropped her head, reached forward and wrapping her arms around the Doctor's waist she pulled him tightly to her. She turned her head, putting it against his chest and listening to the soothing rhythm of his beating hearts. She sat like that for an eternity; like a child taking comfort from a parent during a storm.

The Doctor, not knowing what else to do, wrapped his arms around Amy, gently cradling her to him. He put his head down on hers, stroking her hair and making comforting sounds, realizing that he was comforting himself, as much as he was comforting Amy in her coming to terms with her grief. It saddened him, knowing it was Rory that she would always want, and not him. It frightened him that he was growing to need Amy in ways he hadn't thought he was capable of needing anyone ever again. Memories stirred deep in his mind, memories of parents, a wife, children, grandchildren, and the incredible pain he suffered when he lost them all. Pain he still hid from the universe. He fought to steel himself against feeling those things again, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. He took a deep breath, and with a concerted effort, pushed all his feelings and desires away into a safe closet in his mind.

Amy yawned.

The Doctor stepped back, breaking their connection and went to the controls to park the TARDIS. He stepped back towards her, grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet.

"Ah, yes. You need to sleep. Let's go to bed." His eyes widened in alarm, his face flushed scarlet, and he stammered, "No. I didn't mean it like… th-that didn't come out right."

"I know what you mean Doctor," Amy responded with a weary chuckle, stepping back awkwardly, her heart racing in response to the unintentional implication of his words. They started walking to his room, "You'll stay with me again? Just until I'm asleep?"

"Of course I will." He replied softly.

Amy slipped into the Doctors bed after slipping into her nightie. She had grown comfortable enough with his presence to change into night clothes before settling down next to him until she fell asleep. She had spent her first few weeks with the Doctor in the TARDIS all those years ago in this nightie, but she had never intentionally changed into it before that first night on Diamas. The first time she had done so she had felt as nervous as she had going to her wedding night, and that feeling confused and frightened her. She still felt those things, but her desire for a comfortable night of good sleep that she would never be able to get fully clothed overrode her discomfiture.

The settled down in what had become their usual posture, Amy looking out into the night, and the Doctor spooned behind her with his arm around her waist. He could feel both he and Amy relaxing into a drowsy reverie.

They lie like that for about an hour, sleep not coming as easily to Amy as it had on previous nights as she tried to sort her feelings. She gazed sleepily out into the ochreous and onyx gas clouds of what he had told her was the Carina Nebulae. She finally rolled over in place, facing him and placing her own arm around his waist, mirroring his posture.

"You're my best friend, you know that?" She asked him tentatively.

He had been aware that Amy had been struggling with something internally as they lie together, gazing out into the wonders of the universe. He nodded his head, unsure of where she was going with this.

"You're my best friend, and I never tell you. And I never tell you thank you. I never ask before inserting myself into your life. But you always accept me as I am. And I never say thank you." She paused, took a breath and stretched her face up to his. She kissed him quickly on the cheek, and then placed her cheek next to his.

"I love you. You know that, right? You're my best friend, and I love you." She whispered in his ear.

Gooseflesh erupted across his body, a chill spread down his spine as warmth spread out from his loins. He pulled her closer, and rolling onto his back pulled her on top of him. His eyes met hers, and keeping eye contact to see if she would pull away from him, he placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her to him into a long, slow deep kiss. Electricity coursed through them both as their lips met. Amy's lips opened, accepting him and their tongues danced together in a dance as old as time itself.

The kiss went on for eternity. Her hands reached up to comb through his hair sending chills cascading through his body. Her legs wrapped around him possessively pulling them even closer together. Their kiss deepened and he groaned low in his throat.

"I love you too Amelia Pond," he whispered hoarsely, and then pulled her back into a deep kiss as his other hand trailed down the contours of her back. His hand found the bottom of her night shirt, and came up along her hip, burning a trail along her skin, and brushing lightly along the side of her breast. Amy gasped and their kiss broke off...

The Doctor awoke with a start, Amy once again snoring against his chest and their legs intimately intertwined. Her arm was across his abdomen underneath his shirt, her hand against his skin felt like fire, and her legs wrapped through his felt unimaginably wonderful.

His right hand flew up to cover his eyes as he shook his head in denial. It had been a dream. Only a dream.

For the first time in longer than he could remember, tears of longing and for the loss of something which he had no right to want spilled from his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Amy, carefully gathering her closer to him without waking her, and he stared unseeing out into the orange light of the nebulae, his silent tears echoing through the universe.


	10. The Gamma Forests

The Gamma Forests

"C'mon River, let me up!" Jack pleaded.

"Tsk-tsk, not until I think you've learned your lesson." She replied distractedly buttoning up her shirt. She turned back to the mirror and applied her lipstick.

"You're leaving? Without letting me up?" Jack yelled frantically.

"Yup!" She replied smoothing down her curls and turning towards the door.

"At least get me a blanket! Please?" Jack pleaded again.

River opened the door, turned back and admired his naked form stretched out with his wrists handcuffed to the bed posts above his head.

"As I said, not until I think you've learned your lesson. You should always ask a lady first before tearing off her clothes." She said matter-of-factly. "I won't be long!" She smirked at him, turned away and walked through the door, locking it behind her after placing the Do Not Disturb sign on the door knob. She strapped the Vortex Manipulator onto her wrist, re-enabled the initiate screw, punched in some coordinates, and disappeared.

"RIVER SONG! Get your sexy ass back in here!" Jack screamed in frustration from behind the locked door.

.

.

Amy woke to find herself sprawled face down diagonally across the Doctor's bed. As with most mornings, he was already gone, having either left after she fell asleep, or after his own short nap. She turned towards the screen noticing that it was blank. They must've landed. The Doctor had explained to her that he only kept the screen activated while in space, disabling it when the TARDIS had landed somewhere in order to conserve energy.

She shuffled in to the shower, turned it on, pulled off her nightie and stepped under the warm water. She showered quickly, then dried off, pulled back her hair, and dug through her bag looking for something to wear. She pushed aside all the clothing for tropical weather and found clothes more suited for a cooler climate. She settled on slim-cut jeans, trainers, and a vibrant green long-sleeved stretchy V-necked shirt. As an afterthought she grabbed her jacket, and went in search of the Doctor. She found him in the control room, hanging upside down under the control deck, reconnecting a cable.

"There you are!" She called out cheerfully climbing up onto the glass flooring and tossing her jacket onto one of the chairs.

"Ow!" The Doctor smacked his head against the bottom of the stairs as he pulled himself upright.

Amy jumped down off the platform and hurried over to him, knelt by his side, one hand on his shoulder and the other gently lifted his hair off his forehead to assess his injury. Her fingers tingled when she lightly grazed his skin and she became aware of the closeness of him. She breathed in and became aware of his scent. He had a spicy scent about him, like cardamom, cinnamon, and fennel. They were fragrances she associated with contentment, and her eyes closed as she breathed in the scent deeply. She re-opened them to find him looking at her; she caught a mixture of pain and sadness about his face before he could school it back to a neutral look. Those brief flashes of pain on his face made her want to wrap him in her arms and comfort him. She pulled her eyes from him and looked back up to his forehead.

"I think you'll live." She proclaimed. "I could get some ice for you if you'd like?"

Her hand dropped and the Doctor caught it in his, "That would be lovely. Yes. And breakfast maybe?" He chuckled as Amy's stomach complained loudly.

Amy helped pull him to his feet where he swayed slightly, his eyes blinking rapidly as he appeared to suffer some light headedness.

"Easy does it!" She laughed as she steadied him. She pulled his arm across her shoulders, swung her arm around his waist, and guided him to the stairs to sit until his head cleared.

"Thanks." he responded, shaking his head as the darkness lifted from his vision.

Amy punched him lightly in the arm "Hey, what're best friends for?"

He stared at her is surprise, eyes wide and mouth open at her choice of words. He clamped his mouth shut and looked quickly away.

His reaction startled Amy; she did not understand why he would react so to her words. Something stirred in her mind though as she reviewed them in her head. Something from the night before where she had told him that he was her best friend in a dream. She remembered where it had gone after that and a slow blush crept into her cheeks as she relived the memory of that dream kiss she and the Doctor had shared. She pulled herself back into the present and stood up, hoping he had not noticed her blush.

"I think you said something about breakfast?" She asked him, laughing uneasily as her stomach once again growled in hunger. She took his hands once again, and helped him up slowly. Once it was evident that he was steady, they made their way to the kitchen.

Amy got the Doctor seated in a chair, brought him ice for his head, and then set out to make breakfast. She gathered ingredients, fired up the cook top, and whipped up omelets, toast and tea.

She was aware of him watching her as she prepared their meal, and caught herself blushing several times as she felt as though he knew about her dream from the night before. Each time she admonished herself. How could the Doctor possibly know what she had dreamed?

She served up their breakfast, and the two settled down to eat.

"Trees." The Doctor proclaimed.

"Trees." Amy repeated.

"Yes, trees. Lots of trees. And not just trees, psychic trees, trees that can actually communicate. Impossibly huge, intelligent trees." He clarified.

"Apple trees? Maple trees? Yew trees? What're we talking about here?" Amy inquired.

"No-no-no. Conifers. Giant trees, much like the sequoias that grow in the central western coast of North America. Trees that are so giant that people look like tiny insects next to them, and they're psychic. How's that for WOW?" The Doctor sat back, a smug look on his face.

"So, we're going to go out and talk to the trees?" Amy asked doubtfully.

"Yes! Well, no." He gestured towards the general direction of the doors, "we're going to go out those doors and see who we will meet. There are humans here also. Well, mostly humans. They've interbred with other beings through the generations since they left earth, but just looking at the people here you can't tell that they're anything but human. They are, however, symbiotic with the trees. They are themselves, somewhat psychic. Well, the women are. They converse on an emotional level with the trees, living harmoniously together."

"What about the men?" She asked between bites.

"What about them?" The Doctor seemed briefly confused. "Oh! The men, being not psychic? The men are actually a minority here. For every man, there are 63 women. It's a matriarchal society, the women run the planet, and are the heads of the families. Something about either the genetic combination, or the environment, has caused the male birthrate to drop. While the women run things, men care for the children, cook the communal meals, and interestingly enough, they are also completely peaceful. Well, not just the men, everyone. There is no war here. The society is similar to the Druids. Not the Druids from literature, but the real Druids. They were very peaceful, basically gardeners. The original Druids were caretakers of the trees. They lived peacefully in the forests of what is now France and Britain, and you're about to see here, what no person on earth has seen since before the time of Christ. That reminds me, I owe him money."

Amy looked shocked.

Finishing his breakfast, the Doctor stood and held his hand out to Amy, "Shall we?"

"Doctor? You still haven't said where are we? Exactly?" She took his hand and let him pull her up to her feet and they made their way to the exit.

"The Gamma Forest." He replied looking back over his shoulder at Amy.

Her eyebrows furrowed together, "that sounds familiar. Why does that sound familiar?"

He turned to her, "you've met someone from here, at Demons Run, a girl, Lorna Bucket. She died." He said sadly.

Amy's eyes mirrored his sadness as she remembered the young woman who had sewn the prayer leaf for her infant daughter Melody, and who had given her life fighting to protect Melody and Amy, who had given the infant her ultimate name in the language of the forest: River Song.

"If the people here are peaceful, why did Lorna join the war?" She asked.

The Doctor frowned. "I'm not sure. She died before I knew her."

Amy grabbed her coat as they walked past the chairs at the control console, and they exited the TARDIS, stepping out into a lush green forest. The Doctor and Amy both inhaled deeply, the sweetest air they had ever known. Their ears were greeted with a cacophony of bird calls, irritated at being interrupted by strangers intruding into their forest. As they stepped away from the TARDIS, and looked around, Amy felt herself enveloped in a sense of peace and serenity. There seemed to be a question in her mind, and she realized with a start that the trees were curious about her and the Doctor.

"How does it work, the psychic thing with the trees?" she asked him.

"I'm not exactly sure. "Why?"

"I think they're talking to me." She replied.

"You can hear that?" He seemed surprised. "You shouldn't be able to hear them, you're fully human!" He pulled out his sonic screw driver and scanned her. He had scanned her before, but she had been replaced once already, he wanted to be sure she hadn't been replaced by something again, and to satisfy himself that this was HIS Amy. The scan came back normal, and he reached up to scratch his face. "Interesting."

"What?" Amy asked nervously. She wasn't sure whether to be alarmed or amused.

"It seems, somehow, I don't know why, but it seems that you've developed a psychic ability that is compatible with the trees." The Doctor's forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"Can you hear them?" she asked him.

"Of course I can hear them; I've always had this ability. But you haven't. You shouldn't be able to hear them Amy. I don't know if this is good or bad. I don't know WHY you can hear them." He continued mumbling incoherently to himself, and now using his screwdriver on the trees.

"Ah… they don't like that." Amy volunteered tentatively, responding to the mild agitation that had replaced the peaceful feeling from before.

"I know they don't like that!" The Doctor snapped, "I can hear them too!"

He snapped the screwdriver shut and replaced it in his pocket. They continued to explore the area around the TARDIS, walking along the natural path of dried needles that led through the thick undergrowth of giant ferns.

Amy gloried at the forest, communing with it at a subconscious level. The trees seemed to be reviewing her life, sifting through her memories. Some things that she considered terribly important in her life were barely noticed by the awareness of the trees, while smaller inconsequential things seemed to be brought to the foreground, and to be examined with an intensity she did not understand. In exchange, she was treated with images from the forest. Nests filled with speckled eggs; deer-like creatures nimbly stepping between the undergrowth and nibbling on tender young ferns with their young peeking out from behind them; the morning sunrise burning its fire across a crimson sky, torrential storms wreaking terrible destruction in their paths; and time stretching out in all directions with an infinite sense of patience. She found it very distracting, and stumbled often.

The Doctor chuckled.

"What?" She asked him, distractedly.

"They are VERY interested in you. I don't think they've ever met someone like you before, and you seem to intrigue them." He countered.

She realized that through his own psychic abilities, he must be seeing what the Trees were seeing in her mind. She stopped in shocked surprise, a scarlet blush flooding her cheeks, and immediately threw up walls around her memories. There were some thoughts she really did NOT want the Doctor to see. Like her dream from last night.

Amy had known for a long time, since those first days with the Doctor, that despite her crush on him, he would never feel that way in return. She realized that even now, as her friendship with him grew closer, and their affection for each other deepened, he would never love her the way she was growing to love him.

"What?" he turned back to her curiously. The trees were suddenly surprised and he turned to find the source. He saw the blush on Amy's cheeks, and the alarm in her eyes. "Amy?"

"Doctor?" she responded nervously. "What do you see the trees looking at?"

"Nothing really, just that they are curious about you and want to know you better. Why?" He was quite confused at Amy's reaction.

"So, you can't see what the trees see in my head?" She asked, slightly mollified when he shook his head.

"Good" she murmured under her breath. She eased the walls in her mind down, but made sure that some memories were buried down out of sight. She wasn't about to take the chance that the Doctor had lied about what he had or had not seen the trees looking at in her mind.

The Doctor stepped behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders he spoke, "Why don't I just steer since you are being distracted?" he suggested.

Amy nodded in agreement, and the two continued on through the forest, the Doctor guiding her safely along the trail.

They had been walking for about an hour when they noticed changes in the forest. The trees were thinning out, and in the distance they could see dome-like structures. They heard the sound of rushing water off to their left, and the land on their right began to slope upwards into a forested mountain range. As they continued on, the sound of the river grew louder, and they eventually came to a bridge, the community a short distance from the other side of the river. A group of women stood on the bridge, obviously awaiting their arrival.

Amy became aware of her mind being returned to her. The trees left her with a gentle greeting.

As they approached the women, a slender woman who appeared to be in her early 30's, with an Asian cast to her features stepped forward. "Greetings Doctor and Amy, welcome to our colony. The trees have informed us of your approach. I am Larana, and we are the women of the Gamma Forest."

She stepped towards the doctor, holding out both hands palms upwards. The Doctor closed the distance between them, grasping her hands in the form of greeting for the women of the Gamma Forest.

"Larana, greetings." The Doctor released her hands and she turned to Amy, greeting her in the same fashion. As she grasped Larana's hands and looked into her eyes, a shock of recognition rippled through her. There was no doubt in her mind, that Larana was somehow related to Lorna. There were some differences, mostly in the chin and around her mouth, but otherwise she was identical to what Amy remembered of Lorna.

A look of surprise flickered across Larana's face as she seemed to know what was in Amy's mind. Amy realized that the trees must have registered her impressions and passed them on to Larana.

"How do you know my daughter, Lorna?" Larana asked bewildered.

The Doctor and Amy exchanged looks of alarm. This was going to be hard to explain.


	11. The Endless Hunger

The Endless Hunger

.

They stood on a ledge, overlooking a small valley dedicated to what could only be described as a school. There were approximately 20 girls, of ages ranging from toddlers to late teens. Four men were overseeing the children in the various groups. The children seemed to be grouped by age, the older students were seated at drafting tables studying civil engineering designs, the early-teens were gathered in what appeared to be a chemistry lab, the preteens were studying physics, the younger children were reciting mathematics lessons, and the toddlers were engaged in educational math and science games.

"That's Lorna there," Lorana pointed to a young girl about 10 years old bent over her physics lesson, "but you know her in the future?"

"Years from now, yes." The Doctor replied, leaving out the details of their encounter involving Lorna. The Doctor turned back to Lorana, "Are these the only children in the colony?"

"No, this is just the Science and Engineering group. There are four groups of students; they cycle through the lesson clusters. One group is studying music, art, history, and literature up in the hills, another is engaged in study and meditation with the trees, and the last group is occupied in their community education." Lorana explained.

"They're not separated by age?" Amy asked.

"No, the children are kept with the other children born in the same season; each child is brought up with her seasonal sisters." Lorana responded.

"What about the boys?" The Doctor inquired.

"We have one boy under the age of 20 in the colony right now. He was a spring child, he is with his sisters studying music today." Lorana replied.

"Your male population is still declining, do you know why?" He asked.

"Yes," Lorana took on the posture of a teacher, and stepping back gesturing for them to walk with her. "A millennium ago men came here; this world has had and will have many names. Back then it was just called Gamma. The men tore down the forest on the other side of the mountains, and built their great city. After they prepared their homes, they sent for their women. The women came, and cried. The trees had tried communicating with the men, tried to tell them of their pain as the men committed murder on a life form they did not understand, but the men had closed their minds to the trees. The women came, and felt the pain in the world around them. They heard the cries of the trees, and they cried with them. Since that time the trees have limited their communication to women. Only occasionally will they communicate with men, as they did with you upon your arrival, and as they do during certain rituals with our men."

The Doctor and Amy were captivated by her story.

"Things in the city began to change. The men suddenly found their wives had also changed; they were uncooperative and they rebelled against continuing to build the city. The plans for expanding their great city began to go wrong. The city stopped growing, and after several years it became apparent that their population also was starting to decline. It was several years before they realized that it was specifically the male population that was declining. Although the overall birthrate was down, it was not as obvious as the decline in the male population. By the end of the first thirty years, the women had successfully accomplished a peaceful coup through producing a majority of female births."

"You're saying the women had girls on purpose?" Amy asked astounded.

Lorana chuckled, "no, the trees made the changes. While the men were trying to build their city, the women began to commune with the trees. Their interaction with the trees, on an emotional and physical level, changed them. While science tells us that the man's seed determines the sex of a child, a woman's body chemistry can make their bodies more or less compatible with different genders. After thirty years of learning from the trees, and growing with them, the women and the few men who were born since they arrived on Gamma, left the city and came across the mountains to settle here, leaving the original male settlers to die off in their crumbling city. Unlike the trees, the city died painlessly. Slowly the forest has reclaimed it. There are still ruins there, a scar on the face of the Gamma Forests, but the trees want it there to remind us of what will happen if we close our minds to them."

"How did the trees change the women?" The Doctors curiosity was piqued.

"If the trees wish you to know, they will tell you Doctor. Now, perhaps you and Amy would care to join us for our mid-day meal?" Lorana asked.

Amy and the Doctor looked up to discover they had arrived at a common dining area. The women, a few men, and children from the other clusters were serving themselves and taking seats around the room. Amy watched the women closely, and mimicked their actions. She spooned a serving of thick stew into her bowl, and taking a chunk of bread turned to follow the Doctor and Lorana to a table. She had noticed that nobody was eating, so she sat and placed her hands in her lap to wait for some unseen signal that would indicate when to begin. When all were seated with their meals, the group spoke in unison. "Drink deeply, and grow towards the light."

Amy glanced sideways at the Doctor and saw that he had picked up his spoon and begun eating with the rest of the group, so she followed his example. She found the stew unlike anything she had ever had before, thick with root vegetables and mushrooms, the unidentified meat used more as an accent than a primary ingredient, and lightly seasoned, all coming together in a satisfying dish. It took her a few moments after savoring the dish to realize that the meal was being eaten in silence. She looked around while eating and taking note of some activities that seemed to be part of the meal. The younger women ate and watched the older women, much in the same way Amy was now watching those around her. The older women seemed to have a ritual about the meal, combining the meal with what appeared to be meditation or prayer. From time to time, various women would freeze, seeming to fall into almost a trance-like state, and then come back to themselves and continue the meal.

She became aware of a whispering in the back of her mind, and realized the trees were communicating with her. She began to see images in her mind, almost like memories, of the city Lorana had described. Seeing the women go off into the forest, and meditate with the trees. She realized she was watching from the point view of the trees, as a line of robed women walked towards a pool at the base of an impossibly huge tree, shedding their robes as they stepped naked into the pool, submerging themselves. Their hair fanned out behind them as they stayed submerged; just their faces broke the surface of the water. Amy could see waves of color undulating through the pool, like an aquatic aurora shimmering around the women; she could almost feel the shimmer caressing the women intimately. The women appeared to glow with these colors, looks of rapture coming to their faces.

"So that's how they did it." The Doctor's voice startled Amy out of her vision. She looked about to see all eyes upon her. The women some with knowing looks on their faces, others with looks of puzzlement. She blushed, realizing that the trees had shared with the others the history lesson they had been giving Amy.

"She is not of the forest, yet the trees share with her!" An unidentified woman protested. Several women seated nearby shushed her.

Amy looked to the Doctor and Lorana, "have I done something wrong?" she asked uncertainly.

Lorana turned back towards her, "No Amy, you have done nothing wrong. It is not usual for the trees to welcome outsiders in this manner. The trees chose to share something with you and that is remarkable."

"How often do the trees share with outsiders?" The Doctor asked.

"You are the first the trees have shared with." Lorana replied, "But our people here have shared with outsiders before, and it has not always been as readily received as you are accepting it. The trees see inside everyone, and they evidently see that you two are able to accept and believe the relationship between us as others have not."

"You really are the children of the trees." The Doctor commented uneasily, "How long before your appearances change?"

"We have undergone several small changes, but we have many-many of generations before we are altered in the way you are suggesting Doctor. The trees have seen that you will know us in the future. The Gamma Forests will have another name then, and we will no longer look as we do now." Lorana admitted.

Amy was confused, and asked "I don't understand, how can your appearances change?"

"To you Amy, we appear human," Lorana again took on a teaching voice. "Those women in the pool were infused with the life energy of the trees. On a genetic level, the trees shared with the women and began to make changes. Every Gamma female who reaches womanhood goes through the ritual. What the vision doesn't show is the ritual that our men go through, and that the trees take genetic information from the men to make changes within themselves. The trees are also changing."

"You're…" Amy hesitated, grappling with the concept, "you're turning into trees, and they're turning into people?"

Lorana smiled, "Not precisely. We are becoming something new, something that the universe has not seen yet."

The Doctors eyes suddenly went wide with realization. "The trees and you are exchanging genetic material, you're merging! You said this world has had, and will have many names. How do you know this? Do you know what names this world will have? Are you able to see anything yet?"

Lorana smiled, "We can sometimes see shadows of things to come, but not enough to understand it. The trees see everything, the past, the present, and the future. They have seen what we will become. For the trees, time is not the linear thing man believes it to be, they see all of time around them."

"Do they tell you the future?" The Doctor asked shocked.

"Not always." Lorana admitted. "They tell us what we need to know, and no more. They assure us that we will all eventually be able to see clearly through time as they do, but we are still seedlings. We are not ready. They did tell us you were coming, and assured us that you would help us. You see Doctor, once again, the trees cry. We are now connected enough with them that we not only hear their cries, we feel their pain. There is something murdering the Gamma Forests, and we need your help."

The Doctor was immediately interested, "what could murder a forest, other than man?"

"The trees call them a great and endless hunger," Lorana replied. "They're killing us."

.

.

.

.

"Did you miss me?" River asked as she walked into the room. She wasn't surprised to see Jack had managed to free himself, but she was disappointed to find him dressed.

"You left me here for hours." Jack replied stormily.

"Liar, I've been gone 12 minutes." She said checking the clock. "From the looks of things, it didn't take you long to free yourself, I don't know why you're upset. How ever did you get out of those handcuffs?"

"I told you, I've been here before. I know a guy." Jacks smirked. "So, did you find him?"

"The Doctor? No." She appeared frustrated.

"How long were YOU gone?" Jack asked her.

"Three weeks. I looked on all his favorite haunts during his favorite times, but there was no sign of him. I came back as soon as I realized I was going to need your help tracking him down." She walked over to him, looked up into his face. "You weren't really surprised at my leaving you handcuffed were you?"

Jack cleared his throat uneasily. "I wasn't surprised that you had handcuffs, I was surprised to pass out after one kiss. Tell me, how do you use drugged lipstick without it affecting you?"

"I'm immune." River shrugged stepping in closer to Jack. "Having been raised to be the perfect psychopath, I had a rather unusual series of inoculations."

Hoping that she was joking, Jack pulled her into an embrace and countered "Do you have any other unusual traits?"

River brought her arms up around his neck, as if to return his embrace when Jack suddenly felt the cold steel of a knife against his temple and she laughed quietly, "Tsk-tsk, I told you to ask first!"

Jack released her and stepped back, River turned away sheathing her knife. She turned back to him; the look in her eyes had taken on an immeasurable sadness. "I have more unusual traits than you could begin to know."

Wanting to offer her comfort, but not wanting to be on closer terms with her knives, Jack opened his arms, giving her the choice. River stepped into his arms and leaned against his chest, closed her eyes and listened to the rhythm of a single heart beating. Sighing, she gave in to letting herself be comforted.

"No lipstick this time." She said looking up at him through her lashes, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him into a passionate and inviting kiss.

Jack responded eagerly.


	12. The Wyvern

The Wyvern

.

"The Great and Endless Hunger, now where have I heard that before?" The Doctor mumbled pacing back and forth in the hut he and Amy had been shown to as night fell.

Amy lay facing him on her side on the cot, watching him bemused. "Why don't you go back to the TARDIS and look it up?" She asked sleepily.

"I told you, I'm not leaving you here alone." He replied.

"Fine, then pipe down so I can get some sleep!" Amy complained light heartedly, smiling at him to soften her words.

He looked down guiltily, as if suddenly realizing that she was trying to sleep, and closed the distance to the cot, lowering himself onto it. He stroked Amy's hair back from her face, smiling down at her. "I forget about sleep sometimes." He apologized. He slipped out of his shoes and stretched out facing her, waiting for her to turn her back to him and assume their normal sleeping positions.

Amy looked into his eyes, "you can't really be comfortable like that, can you?" She gestured to his bowtie, braces and trousers.

"I'm fine" he replied distractedly, still waiting for her to roll over.

She reached up and brushed his hair out of his eyes, mirroring his earlier action with her.

"You need a haircut." She observed, tucking a stubborn lock behind his ear.

His eyes closed and he sighed while a shiver raced down his spine at her touch.

"You OK?" she asked him. He nodded in reply, not trusting himself to speak.

Amy cupped his cheek in her hand. "You take care of all of us, but who takes care of you?"

He opened his eyes, "I'm fine Amy, really."

Amy looked unconvinced, and on a hunch combed her fingers through his hair, drawing it away from his face. Once again his eyes closed and his whole body shivered.

"It's alright, you know? To need people, and let yourself relax for a change." She chided him gently.

His eyes opened lazily, and gazed into her emerald eyes. Sometimes could see forever when he looked at her like this. A future stretched out before him, a future that included Amy. He could envision himself somehow figuring out how to extend her fleeting existence, and travelling with her to the end of his days. He shook himself out of his reverie.

"I do need you Amy, more than you can possibly imagine. Don't ever believe that I don't need you. You are the most important part of my life." He smiled sadly down at her.

She looked up at him, confused at the emotions she saw playing out across his face. There were times when he looked at her she could feel something inside of her connect with him, like pieces of a puzzle unexpectedly fitting together and the picture of her life suddenly coming into sharp focus; then his expression would become guarded and the picture would blur out of sight again. She sighed and started to turn over, then stopped. There was no window looking out into the universe here in this hut, nothing for her to gaze out at as she drifted off to sleep. She made a quick decision, and pushed his shoulder down so he was forced onto his back.

He looked at her, surprised, and let her guide him onto his back. She reached down and unclipped his braces, pushed them out of the way, pulled off his bowtie and tossed it aside, and putting her arm across his abdomen she snuggled into him. She rested her head on his chest. He couldn't see the smug smile on her face as she nestled into him, letting the rhythm of his beating hearts lull her to sleep.

With his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her closer to him, kissed the top of her head, and began stroking her hair with his free hand. He sighed in contentment and closed his eyes, unaware that Amy had just scored a personal victory. The two drifted off together, unaware of the presence of the trees in their minds.

_Amy knew she was dreaming. She was walking through the forest, the Doctor a step ahead of her. They could feel their minds linked together, a link that was shared with the trees they wandered through dream. In this dream state, she could see the trees as living entities, not just as trees. Something was in the forest with them. The Doctor reached his hand back, and Amy took it, amazed at how tactile it was. She could feel the coolness of his hand, her own hand hot in contrast. He gripped her tightly, looking over his shoulder._

"_Can you feel it? We're not alone." He acknowledged her uneasy nod._

"_We're asleep, aren't we?" She asked, and he nodded in reply. "Is this like a Dream Lord thing again?"_

_He shook his head. "This is the trees. They want to show us something, and this apparently is the easiest way." He let go of her hand and turned front, they continued to make their way through the trees._

_Amy looked around, taking note of the details of their dream journey. She could see the mountains to her left, and the sun rising behind them. Something seemed wrong. She suddenly realized what it was. They were on the other side of the mountains. She began to look around to see if she could see the ruined city. A whisper in the back of her mind told her it was too far away to see. They were being shown something else._

_A roar echoed off the mountains and through the forest. The trees seemed lean away from the sound and to shudder in fright. Another roar, deeper and to her alarm much closer reverberated through the forest._

"_No, that can't be!" The Doctor muttered. "Amy, pray that I'm wrong. I thought they all died out long ago, how can they be here now? If we're hearing what I think we're hearing, I'm not sure the Gamma Forests can be saved."_

"_What is it?" Amy asked fearfully._

"_On earth, men would call it a Dragon. The creatures are an ancient race, as old as the universe itself." The Doctor explained. "They call themselves The Wyvern, they are the size of a building and they breathe fire when they are in an atmosphere with oxygen. They used to live in deep space, only coming to a planet or other bit of rock with an oxygen based atmosphere that could support carbon based life, in order to mate and bear their young. They would then depart when their young to hatched, the young then razing the planet, leaving only smoking ruins behind when they too departed."_

"_Dragon? You said dragon. You're telling me, we are dealing with space DRAGONS?" She demanded, slightly hysterical._

"_I don't know for sure. I won't know until I see one." The Doctor said, looking eastward. _

_The sun was suddenly blocked, and an impossibly huge winged creature flew over them. It carried two giant trees in its talons, like twigs, and was greeted with another roar from its mate as it circled down towards where they were building their nest._

"_Not good. That is very-very not good." The Doctor turned towards Amy in alarm, grabbing her hand. "Run!"_

They awoke suddenly, both drenched in sweat and breathing hard as if they had been running for their lives. Her fear having manifested itself through her sleep, Amy found herself clinging to the Doctor. His arms were around her tightly protective. Their breathing eased, and their pulses slowed.

"That was real, wasn't it? I mean, it was a dream, but it was real." She asked him.

"Yes." He replied, an undercurrent of fear echoed in his words. "We need to go and see Lorana. Now. This won't wait until the morning."

They heard a scratch at the door; the Doctor got up and walked over to open it while fixing his clothes back to normal. He opened the door to find a group of women led by Lorana, and the expression on their faces told the Doctor that the dream had not been limited to Amy and him.

"We dream this every night." Her voice trembled. "You know these creatures?"

He nodded. "Yes, and you need to prepare your people to evacuate the planet. The Wyvern can't be stopped."

A look of unease came across the faces of the women.

"Doctor, we can't leave. If we leave here, the trees will be destroyed by that creature, and we cannot allow that to happen." Lorna informed him.

"You have a problem then. The Wyvern are extremely intelligent, but even more savage. Their drive to reproduce overrules what little sanity they have to begin with." He began pacing about the hut, "there are stories, old stories, of some contact with them in space. Usually those trying to make contact ended up as lunch. Some contact was made; I suppose the Wyvern weren't hungry at the time. Travelers found a way to communicate with them, and learned enough to know to avoid them after that. There is no evidence that anybody was ever able to communicate with them during a mating cycle."

"We must find a way to communicate with them or to drive them away. Surrendering the Gamma Forests to these creatures is not an option." Lorana replied. A look of grim determination was upon the faces of all the women.

The Doctor looked unhappy. "You're sure about this? You're sure you can't just…"

The look on their faces ended that line of thought.

"OK. We can try." He again began to pace about the hut, his face took on an excited anticipatory expression, like a child with a new toy. He turned to Amy, "we're going to need a plan. We need a giant net, a vast source of water, and bait."

A worried look came across Amy's face. "What exactly do you use to bait a creature like that?"

"Fish." The Doctor looked enormously pleased with himself, which did little to dissuade her alarm.

The Doctor turned back to the women of the Gamma Forests, reassured them, informed them that he would reveal his plan to them the following morning, and instructed them all to go back to bed for the night.

"Do you really have a plan?" Amy asked the worry on her face speaking the concern she was unable to verbalize.

"Yes. No. Sort of. This is a forested planet, and it only stands to reason that as with wood everywhere else in the universe, the forest is vulnerable to fire. That being said, there must be a way to prevent or fight fires that do occur." He paused for a breath. "I need to find what it is. If they don't have what is required, we need to help them invent it, and I really hope they have something already because we don't have time for that."

The Doctor put his arm around Amy's shoulder and guided her back to the cot. "Get some rest; we're going to be busy tomorrow."

Amy settled down while the Doctor remained standing. "You're not…?"

"I need to take a look around, without an escort this time." He replied. "I won't be long, try to sleep. I'll see you when you wake in the morning."

He bent over and to her surprise he kissed her on her cheek and not the top of her head, and then he turned and left abruptly.

He closed the door quietly behind him, and set out to find what type of fire apparatus was available. He could feel the presence of the trees in his mind, curious as to his intent. He sent his thoughts out to them, hoping they would understand what it was he was looking for. The trees seem to consider his thoughts, and sent back an image to him of a building on the outside of the community. He followed the route they showed him, and soon came upon of a small barn-like structure. Inside he discovered exactly what he wanted, if not a bit primitive, the community had a fully functioning portable pump with multiple hoses of varying lengths. To his surprise, he also found pipes that he followed to the river. The community had a virtually endless source of water, and the means with which to pump it out onto a fire anywhere within a reasonable distance from the river or other water source.

Satisfied, he made his way back to the hut, letting himself in quietly. He settled himself down next to Amy, who was curled up around a cushion and snoring softly. He spooned himself behind her, a feeling of comfort and familiarity coming over him. He inhaled deeply, taking in her scent of strawberries, and pulled her to him more closely.

The movement caused her to stir, and she rolled over to face him, still asleep. Her arm wrapped around his waist, and she snuggled into him, her breath warm against his neck sending chills coursing through his body. In her sleep, she nuzzled his ear, and her lips found their way along his jawline burning a trail to his mouth, and suddenly he couldn't stop himself. His passion took him by surprise, overwhelming all thought or reason, he found himself consumed with desire for this fantastic and amazing woman in his arms. He had dreamed about this more times than he could count, Amy in his arms returning his kiss. Her lips seemed as hungry for him as he was for her.

He didn't know when he became aware that she was awake. She was returning his kisses voluntarily and not just a response to a dream. He pulled back, looking into eyes. There was no question in her eyes, but to his surprise a passion looked back at him that seemed to match his own.

"Amy…" she choked his words off with another kiss.

"Shhh," she whispered. "Just please don't stop."

Their lips met again and electricity coursed through them both. Their blood pounded in their ears, and their minds were open to each other. He could see into her mind, feel what she had felt for him for all of those years since that first night he had met her as a child. He could see why she was doing this now; her fear of losing someone else she loved so soon after losing Rory was driving her into action before she was truly ready to move forward.

"No. Amy, stop." He pulled himself away from her, and her whimper at the sudden loss of contact was almost his undoing. "Not like this. Not now."

Tears filled her eyes and she started to turn away from him.

"Amy, look at me." He pulled her back around, his finger under her chin forcing her to look up at him. "You're doing this because you're afraid, and I won't let that happen." He kissed her cheek and pulled her into an embrace.

"I will show you, that nothing is going to happen to either of us. After you see that, and this is all over, you will see that there was nothing to fear. I won't have you regretting your actions tonight when that happens." He pulled back and looked into her eyes again. "There will never be regret between us Amelia. Not ever." He pulled her back into an embrace, and stroking her hair he rocked her softly until he felt her fall asleep.

Her kisses, and what he had seen in her mind, gave him hope. Hope for something he had not felt in almost 700 years. He closed his eyes, and for the first time in longer than he could remember, he allowed himself to fully remember his wife and children. The love he had felt for them in his youth had defined him, and gave him purpose in his life. The overwhelming grief that led to his madness when he lost all of his family except his infant granddaughter had almost destroyed him. If it hadn't been for that baby girl, he would have followed his wife gladly into oblivion, but his granddaughter Susan had taught him that he could go on, even when he did not wish to.

Now, this woman in his arms stirred up feelings in him he thought he would never experience again. Surely if he could love again, she could also, and a spark of hope in him burned with the possibility that they could find enough strength in each other to heal those wounds and bring them closer.

.


	13. The Great Warrior Doctor

The Great Warrior Doctor

.

"This seems so familiar," Amy whispered. "I think I've seen this in a movie, and I don't remember if it worked then either."

"Shh, it will work!" The Doctor whispered back as he patted her reassuringly on the shoulder. They turned their attention back to watching the Wyvern.

Five mornings ago, the Doctor had presented his plan to the community. First, they would find a place from which to strategically watch the Wyvern and determine their daily routine, and second, the rest of the community would build the trap and accumulate the bait. When he had mentioned fish for the bait, Amy had mentally pictured 2 or 3 fish on a line. She had not anticipated that he would want the vast amount of fish that were actually caught. The sheer volume of fish under ordinary conditions would be fragrant. After sitting in barrels for a few days, the odor was overwhelming.

"That's what I'm counting on." The Doctor had told her the day before. "The Wyvern are meat and carrion eaters, we need to provide them with a treat they can't resist."

While one group of men and women had gathered the hoard of fish, another had woven an incredibly large and very strong net. The Doctor had built small rockets that he fixed to one side of the net. The idea was to lure one of the Wyvern to the fish, and ensnare it. The Doctor hoped he would then be able to communicate with the creature.

As fish were gathered, and nets were built, a third group had travelled across the mountains to find a deep ravine in which to build the trap. They found a keyhole canyon that opened up into a wide dead end, large enough for one of the creatures to fly down into, not far from where the Wyvern were building their nest. The Doctor excitedly approved of the location, and left instructions with the women for digging out launching sites for the rockets along one side of the rim, while he went to check on the observation of the creatures.

The women had rotated out in the observation of the Wyvern, and Amy and the Doctor had relieved the most recent pair and took their turn. The Doctor leafed through the log that the women had kept, approving of the detailed reports. It appeared as though the creatures hunted daily, the male in the morning and the female in the afternoon. It gave the territory that each hunted in, and he was relieved to discover that the male hunted in the vicinity of the trap. When it was ready, they should be able to lure him into it.

"Did you hear that?" Amy whispered.

He looked up from his reading, "Hear what?" He whispered back

"I could swear I heard voices," she cocked her head, listening harder. "There it is again, there're people nearby. Children I think."

The Doctor could hear it now, the babbling sound of children talking and giggling. He looked in horror back to the Wyvern. They had heard it too. He grabbed Amy's hand, and the two quietly slipped down from their vantage point. Once they got down out from the rock outcropping at the top of the ridge, they could see further down the valley in which the observation point had been set up. There were two girls walking up their direction, chatting and laughing. The two children spotted Amy and the Doctor and waved to them, shouting out a greeting.

The Doctor and Amy abandoned all attempts of a stealthy retreat and broke out in a run towards the girls. As they approached they recognized Lorna, and another younger girl with which whom they had seen in the company of Lorna before. They came to the girls and the Doctor grabbed their hands.

"Run!" He shouted and the four of them ran for the tree line a short distance away.

A shadow blotted out the sun above them and Amy looked over her shoulder to see one of the Wyvern rise above the ridge into the sky.

"Faster! Run faster!" She reached down and snatched up the smaller girl who was closer to her as the Doctor lifted Lorna into his arms. They made it into the trees just as they heard the screeching cry of the Wyvern frighteningly close behind.

The Doctor took the lead on the trail, and broke off to the side towards a rocky cliff side. Amy could see his goal, a small cave along the base of the cliff partially hidden by glossy leafed shrubbery. As they came to the entrance, the Doctor pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and aimed it at the cliff face further down the valley, and sent out a sonic burst which started a rock slide.

They ducked into the cave and looking back out behind them into the sky, and could see that the Wyvern had followed the distraction of the rockslide, leaving the four of them gasping for breath but safe in the cave. Amy and the Doctor bundled the children back a short distance from the entrance of the cave, urging the girls in hushed whispers to be as quiet as possible. The girls, wide eyed with fear nodded their heads in agreement.

The four crouched in silence, only the sound of water dripping further back in the cave, and the breeze rustling the leaves of the low shrubs surrounding the entrance of the cave. The occasional sound of giant flapping wings crisscrossing the valley told them that the Wyvern still hunted for the intruders.

"Are they mad at us?" Lorna whispered fearfully.

"No, not mad," Amy whispered. "They just don't want us near them."

"Why?" Lorna asked.

"Lorna," the Doctor asked, "have you ever seen birds build a nest?"

Lorna and the other child both nodded.

"Did the birds like you coming close to watch them?" he continued.

"No, they tried to chase us away." The other girl whispered in reply.

"It's rather like that," he explained. "These creatures are trying to build a nest, and they don't want anyone near them."

"But we don't want them here, do we?" Lorna asked.

"No, everyone wants them to leave The Gamma Forests." Amy answered.

"Why then, don't we just ask them to leave?" Lorna asked innocently.

"What would you say to them?" The Doctor asked curiously.

"I would tell them that people already live here. That children are trying to grow up, but can't if they build their nest and have their babies here." Lorna replied seriously.

The Doctor looked thoughtful. "You know, that might just work."

The four became aware of a stillness coming from the valley. The Doctor gestured to the others to keep quiet, and he crept to the entrance of the cave for a look. He stepped out of the cave and Amy rose to follow him. She stopped and turned back when she heard the two girls whimper, looking up at her with wide eyed fear. She sat back down with them, and pulling them to her lap the three sat cradled together. After several minutes the Doctor returned, gesturing for them to join him.

"I believe they're gone, but we need to go quickly, and QUIETLY." He informed them in a soft voice, stressing his message to the young girls. They both nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation. The four exited the cave and cautiously made their way back to the trail, where the Doctor urged them all into a silent run back to the community.

It was evening when they arrived, and they were greeted by a very angry Lorana.

"Lorna, Leala, what were you two thinking?" She admonished the children.

Lorna hung her head in shame. "The trees told me I would meet the Doctor again in the future at another place. I wanted to talk with him to learn more, Leala wanted to go too." She replied softly, tears welling at the corner of her eyes.

"You should have asked, or told someone. You know it's not safe with those creatures here at this time. You've earned a weeks' worth of extra civic duties. Report to Kaelan and have him add you to the roster." Lorana pointed towards the kitchens and with their heads hanging in shame, the girls made their way to face their punishment.

With sudden insight, the Doctor realized that Lorana's anger at the children was borne from her fear for their safety.

"Despite her misdeed, your daughter has proposed a solution to the creatures that may just work." He informed Lorana.

"Do tell." She replied briskly, still angry at the children for wandering off and putting themselves in danger.

"She suggests simply explaining your situation to the Wyvern, and then asking them to leave." He explained. "As I said before, they are very intelligent. If we can reach them through their drive to mate, they may understand and leave you in peace, seeking another lump of rock on which to procreate."

Lorana looked at him incredulously, "you expect those monsters to simply fly away if we ask them?" She demanded.

The Doctor looked at her furiously, causing her to take a step back. "They're no more monsters than you are Lorana. They are intelligent creatures, possibly the only two left of their kind, I know a little bit about what they may be going through. Just as you and the trees are striving to evolve into a single life form, the Wyvern are striving to continue their species. Don't demonize them just because you don't understand them." He turned sharply and walked away.

Amy looked apologetically at Lorana and the few women who had gathered behind her at the commotion caused by the Doctor's outburst and then followed after the Doctor. As she suspected, he was going back to their hut rather than to the TARDIS. Amy suspected that he was not as angry as he had affected to be, and was curious to find the reason behind his outburst.

She entered the hut a few steps behind him surprised when he sat down on the cot and put his head into his hands. She caught a look of sorrow on his face briefly and went to him, kneeling in front of him and hugging him. He leaned into her, his head turned onto her shoulder.

"They don't understand, and they don't want to understand." He said sadly. "For a peaceful people, all they seem to want to do is drive away or destroy these two magnificent creatures. They don't want to try to help them."

"You don't know that…" Amy trailed off as he brought his head up and looked into her face, his eyes mirroring the sadness in his voice.

"Yes, I do." He said with conviction. "I needed to give them a shock, needed them to see outside of themselves and know the reality of what the Wyvern are facing. It's a bleak mind, who knows it is facing extinction. The people of the Gamma Forests need to know that. They face their own extinction if we can't find a solution with the Wyvern. They should understand that the Wyvern are facing the same thing."

He lay back, looking up to the ceiling and thinking aloud. "I need to move the TARDIS closer to the trap; I need the translation matrix close at hand. These are intelligent creatures; the TARDIS should be able to translate for all of us."

He closed his eyes, and after a long while Amy started to think he had fallen asleep. She slipped off her shoes and started to settle herself down next to him when he jumped up, bumping her onto the floor and startling her.

"Right!" He proclaimed, and then noticed her on the floor and looked embarrassed. "Oh, sorry."

He held a hand down to her to help her up.

"We need to find Lorana, and have her start her people moving the fish up to the trap. If all goes as planned, we should be able to trap the male late tomorrow morning. While they move the fish, you and I will move the TARDIS." He bent over to pick up her shoes as he spoke, handing them to her when he finished and looked at her expectantly.

Amy slipped her shoes on, and the two went out in search of Lorana.

.

.

.

.

"Ok, where did you put it?" Jack asked River.

After a long and active night, they had packed their things the next morning, intent on continuing the search for the Doctor.

"It's right here." River replied, pulling up her sleeve to reveal the Vortex Manipulator around her wrist.

"Hand it over." Jack demanded, holding out his hand impatiently.

"You'll get it back, after we find them." She replied tartly.

"How do I know you won't leave me stranded somewhere naked again?" Jack asked, suspiciously.

"I told you, ask first. Then I won't have to teach you a lesson!" River replied, batting her eyelashes.

Jack rolled his eyes. Her capacities to taunt, admonish, and flirt at the same time made his head spin. He admitted to himself however, that he had not had this much fun in a long time. He hid a smug smile by turning to put on his coat.

"Very well. Since you ran out of ideas of where to find him, why don't we try some places I have in mind. Set the coordinates for Diamas Prime, current year." He instructed her.

"Diamas Prime?" She asked him.

"Yeah, it's a little planet I told him about a few years back. He said he wanted to see it someday, and I have a feeling that someday has arrived." Jack told her.

River programmed in the coordinates. Jack opened his arms to her, she stepped into his embrace and they disappeared.


	14. The Last of His Kind

The Last of His Kind

.

They had worked tirelessly through the night, and as the sun rose the Doctor surveyed the canyon below him and concluded that the trap was set. They just needed to wait for the male to hunt.

The night before, Amy and the Doctor had moved the TARDIS nearer to the canyon. They then had set up the pump and run the intake hoses into small lake that fed a waterfall which dropped into the valley the community was situated in below. Meanwhile, barrel after barrel of pungent fish had been trundled up into the mountains, and set into the trap. Whether by coincidence or through some unknown external influence, a breeze had picked up near sunrise, growing steadily to a wind that blew the scent of the fish towards the nest of the Wyvern. Amy, the Doctor, and the rest of the community were hidden along the top of the canyon, thankfully upwind of the baited trap.

"How will we know he's coming?" Amy asked the doctor, raising her voice to be heard above the wind.

"The woman have set up an alert relay between here and the nest using mirrors, watch for flashing coming from that ridge." He pointed to a ridge off to their left. He turned to Lorana on his other side. "Are you sure you should have the children here, shouldn't you keep them somewhere safe?"

"It's their home also Doctor. They have a duty to the community to protect it as much as the adults have." She replied serenely.

The doctor watched the line of children, the older ones at the sides of adults, the younger ones bringing food and drink to people along the lines, or running messages back and forth between the few people left down in the valley and the majority of the people gathered at the trap. He did not like having the children this close to danger, but could do nothing about it.

Amy nudged him, pointing off to their left, "is that the signal?"

He looked and could see the mirror flashing the alert. "Yes. He's hunting."

The rest of the community had also seen the signal, and more quickly than he would think they could, the children vanished into the forest behind them and the women and men took their places, hiding among the shrubs and rocks along the cliff.

Several minutes passed, and finally the sight of the male Wyvern came into sight. As the Doctor hoped, the male had followed the scent of the fish to the trap. They watched him approach, and hover over the canyon, scrutinizing the mountain of fish below and the surrounding areas, as if sensing the trap waiting for him.

"It's not going to work." Amy whispered, the Doctor waved her quiet.

Hunger seemed to override caution, and after what seemed like forever the creature finally descended into the canyon. As soon as he dropped below the rim, the Doctor gave the signal and the rockets soared over the canyon, landing on the other side where others quickly secured it to the rock anchors the women had spent the last week putting into place.

Too late, the Wyvern realized the trap, and with a roar tried to fly up through the net, but it held secure. He thrashed about while Amy, the Doctor, and the others held fast, making further adjustments to secure the net. Despite the net being secured into rock anchors, the people along the net found themselves being thrown around. Those closest to the edge of the cliff backed as far off as they could while still hanging on to the net, shouting directions and encouragement to each other.

The Doctor had been watching the male, looking for an opportunity to try to communicate with the creature. Next to him, Amy was hanging on to the net, far too close to the edge of the cliff for his comfort. He saw the creature crouching down preparing to spring up through the net yet again and he turned to shout a warning to Amy.

Suddenly everything slowed and became unreal. The herculean beast sprang upwards, its wings and claws grappling with the sides of the cliff surrounding him. The Doctor and locked eyes with Amy in horror as the ground beneath her came loose, falling in a shower to the canyon floor below. He watched her fall, helpless to do anything to stop it. His heart leapt into his throat as he thrust his hand out to her in a futile gesture.

Her scream was carried away with the wind as she fell, causing the Wyvern to turn towards her and reach out with his front talon to grab her. Amy's head snapped back with the sudden loss of velocity, and she began struggling to escape the grasp of the creature. His maw opened, and he brought her to it. Despite the wind and cacophony of other sounds about them, everyone clearly heard Amy's response.

"Oi! Don't you DARE!" she screamed at the creature in outrage.

Shocked, the creature halted the action and for the first time quieted down, seeming to watch and listen to Amy in wide eyed amazement. Most of her words were carried away by the wind, but the Doctor could see Amy shaking a furious finger at the creature as she apparently delivered an angry lecture to the Wyvern. Snatches of her words drifted up to those on the edge of the cliff as they watched in disbelief.

"…down …cross …mate …destroy" the broken words continued to drift back to them, and they watched the Wyvern lift Amy up to eye level, watching her with an incredible look of bewilderment on its face. Amy was in full rant, her arms waving, gesturing and pointing at numerous things and in various directions and shaking her fist at him. Whether the creature understood or not, he was listening to Amy with fascination.

Slowly, the Wyvern rose up onto its hind legs, lifting Amy back up and placing her gently next to the Doctor. Her face was white and she was shaking like a leaf as the Doctor pulled her into a fierce embrace.

"I thought I'd lost you." He whispered softly, kissing her face repeatedly as tears streamed from his eyes. He was suddenly aware of the intense wave of emotions emanating from Amy, terror, hope, outrage, affection, and relief. He did not know if the creature had responded to these emotions, or to her words. He turned back to the creature, holding on more tightly to Amy in the process. Words were suddenly in his mind, and in the minds of all gathered here.

"I am sorry." The Wyvern looked at the Doctor; gesturing to Amy he continued to speak to their minds. "This noisy food tells me we trespass on another's breeding grounds."

The Doctor looked at Amy for an explanation.

"I sort of repeated to him what Lorna had suggested." She told him shakily.

He turned back to the creature, deciding to follow the message the Wyvern had understood. "Yes, these are the breeding grounds of the Gamma Forest, and we are not food. You have violated their territory, you and your mate must seek another location for your nest and your young."

The male sighed. "There are no more of our young. We mate, eggs are deposited into the nest, but no egg hatches. My mate does not understand and she continues to follow her urges to procreate. But there are no more. We are the last."

"I'm sorry." The Doctor replied simply.

"We will hunt no more in this place. My mate deposits her eggs when the sun goes down, after we will depart. You need not fear us after this day." The Wyvern hung his head in defeat.

The wind around them died to a breeze, and everyone around the canyon became aware of the murmuring of the trees in their minds. The creature brought his head up, cocking it to listen. The trees were speaking now, directly to him. Not the images Amy and the Doctor had become accustomed to hearing from the trees, but a language. A language so ancient, the TARDIS matrix was unable to translate it. The people of the Gamma Forests looked at each other in confusion; only a few women, Lorana included, seemed intensely focused on the conversation, seeming to understand what was being said.

The Wyvern nodded, and thought back to the trees in the same language. The discussion went on for almost two hours, and finally the Wyvern and the trees seemed to come to an agreement.

"We can let him go now." Lorana stated. "It is as he says; they will leave when the sun goes down."

She began to unfasten the net, and after a stunned moment the rest followed suit. The creature spoke to them no more, but once freed rose up into the air, circled over them twice emitting a single heartbreakingly lonely cry that echoed into the canyon, and then flew back to his mate.

"I don't understand. What just happened?" Amy asked, still shaken from her experience.

"The trees have given him a possible solution." Lorana stated. "While they are the last of the Wyvern, there is one species they are distantly related to, and they have a planet they call home. The trees have given him directions and instructions. They may have to change some of their ways, but it is possible that the Wyvern may find a home there. It is possible they may not have to live out the rest of their lives alone."

The Doctor looked at Lorana intently. "How do you know this? How closely related?"

"I listened. The relationship is not close enough to cross breed, if that is your concern Doctor. More like the relationship between humans and apes. There is a common ancestor, and the trees believe that there are enough commonalities in the language of those creatures and that of the Wyvern, that they will be able to communicate." She finished speaking and turned to walk away.

The Doctor seemed to want to ask more, but accepted that Lorana had told him all she was going to. He turned to Amy, and seeing that she was still pale and shaking, gathered her to him again kissing her on her forehead.

"You're safe now Amy. You're safe." He murmured over and over. He picked her up and carried her over to a rock outcropping, sitting down he cradled her in his lap, she put her face into the crook of his neck and he rocked her until her shaking quieted. He looked down into her face, unable to read her expression.

"That really happened?" She whispered. He nodded.

"I'm not dead?" She asked again, something like fear and disbelief in her eyes now. Again, he nodded.

"Are you sure?" He cupped his hand around her head and pulled her face close to his.

"I' am completely sure." He replied, and then kissed her. The kiss started out tentative, he wasn't sure how she would react to it. When her response was to deepen the kiss, he complied.

The world disappeared around them as the kiss stretched out forever. They could feel the approval of trees in their minds, as they became lost in each other.

After an eternity, their reverence in each other was interrupted by a giggle. They broke apart and looked over to find Lorna standing a short distance away, blushing and giggling nervously.

"Everyone is waiting for you." She blurted out, and then ran away, down to the valley.

Amy felt a blush in her own cheeks. "I guess we should follow her?" She asked the Doctor.

He replied softly in her ear, causing chills to run down her spine, "yes, but we'll continue our… discussion, later." He kissed her ear and then stood up, setting her down and taking her hand. They jogged hand in hand after the retreating and still giggling Lorna.

They arrived at the community to find an air of relief and gaiety shared among the citizens of the Gamma Forests. The Doctor was immediately pulled away from Amy, the women all thanking him for saving their world; some with simple hugs of thanks, and others with suggestions of ways in which he could be thanked. After watching one determined and beautiful young woman approach the Doctor for a third time with an invitation for him to join her so she could thank him properly, Amy inserted herself between the two, making sure that the girl understood her message clearly. "Hands off!" She hooked the Doctors arm in hers and led him to the table where Lorana was seated, unaware of the amused look on the faces of the rest of the women around them.

Lorana invited them to join her, and added her thanks to the Doctor.

"Well, yes," he replied. "It was really Amy and the trees that convinced the Wyvern to leave." He seemed uncomfortable with all the attention he was receiving over what had happened. In truth, he was more than irritated that the women seemed to be completely disregarding Amy and what she had gone through that afternoon.

Lorna looked at him with amusement. "You are correct of course; it was Amy who stopped the Wyvern this morning. But, you see, the women can't mate with Amy." The Doctors eyes widened in surprise.

She looked the Doctor directly in the eyes and continued. "I mentioned to you on your first night here, that we have shared with outsiders before. One way we continue our gene pool with so few men in our population, is to mate with the outsiders we meet. Since you have arrived here, all of the women have been waiting in anticipation for this. Each season, only a few women are chosen by the trees to bear children. The five women who were chosen for this season are all hoping that an arrangement can be made with you for the mating ceremony. If you are willing, it takes place at mid-season in eight days. Kalana in particular would welcome a union with you." She gestured to the woman Amy had pulled the Doctor away from, who was shooting daggers at Amy with her eyes.

Amy was flabbergasted. "You're kidding, right?" She asked.

Lorana shook her head, "If you're willing to stay here Amy, we would welcome a child of yours…" she broke off after seeing the thunderous look on the Doctor's face at this suggestion.

"We have to respectfully decline Lorana." He replied stiffly. "Actually, I think it's time Amy and I departed."

Amy looked at him curiously.

"I've so much more to show you, and I think we've spent enough time here already, don't you?" He asked her softly. She nodded in reply, curious as to his real intentions.

Lorana nodded in acceptance, although her disappointment was evident. "At least stay the evening for the celebration?"

"I think we can manage one more night, but in the morning we really must be leaving." The Doctor replied.

Singing had started around the dining area as the evening darkened, and several young women got up to dance.

"Those are the chosen for this season," Lorana explained. "They are in the process of choosing their mates for the ceremony. This will continue for the next eight days, and on the final day they should have chosen those with whom they will create a child."

The doctor looked around, there were several men holding back behind everyone. "What of those men?" He asked.

"Those are the men who have participated in recent ceremonies. Each man who participates may not participate again until five years have passed. This is another way we keep our gene pool viable. We have fewer than 200 men in our population, we are very cautious about our breeding. During the times we have outsiders here, there are exceptions made. More women are chosen, and that is one of the few times we have more male children born than female." Lorana explained.

"Your men only have sex once every five years or so then?" Amy asked disbelievingly.

Lorana chuckled, "No Amy, they are far more active than that. The men may choose to seek comfort with each other, or there are ways for men and women to be together without it resulting in a pregnancy."

Amy felt herself blushing at the thought of some of those ways, and suddenly very aware of the warmth was building low in her belly with these thoughts.

"Maybe we want to excuse ourselves from the rest of the evening's activities?" She asked the Doctor after noticing a very determined looking Kalana making her way towards them. He smiled in agreement, and the two bid goodnight to Lorana and the other women seated nearby.

The two made their way back to the hut weaving through the mass of people and quickly losing sight of Kalana, much to Amy's relief.

"Is there any reason in particular you wanted to leave the celebration so early?" The Doctor asked her, his eyes sparkling in amusement.

"I didn't care for the way Kalana was looking at you." Amy answered primly. "Of course, if you _want_ to go back and find her…?" She trailed off, watching the Doctor from the corner of her eye.

She stifled a chuckle at the look of sheer panic flit across his face at the thought of going back to Kalana. "Ah, no. That's quite alright." The Doctor managed to stammer.

Amy reached out and took his hand; the coolness of his hand forming itself around hers filled her with warmth. They walked the rest of the way to the hut in silence, each comforted by the presence of the other.

As they arrived at the hut, the Doctor slowed opening the door for her he asked, "Amy?"

She stepped into the hut and turned to him, curious at his sudden mood shift.

"Did I speak out of turn?" He asked her, hesitantly.

"I don't understand the question." Amy stared back at him blankly. She took off her jacket and tossed it onto the cot, turning back to him.

"Do you want to stay here, have a child here with them?" He wouldn't meet her eyes as he asked. The sudden silence that filled the hut was palpable, and after a few moments he couldn't stand not knowing her reaction and he looked up towards her.

He realized now that he had never truly seen Amy angry. She was definitely angry now, glaring at him across the short distance that separated him. He ducked his head quickly, causing his hair to fall across his eyes. She was right, he did need a haircut. He was thankful for it now as it offered a place to hide from the suddenly volatile ginger.

"How can you ask that?" She demanded in a low voice.

He wished she would yell. When she yelled her anger blew over more quickly.

"No I don't want to have a child here with these people!" Her voice rose a bit, but was still low. She took two steps closing the distance between them and began poking him in the chest.

"How. Can. You. Ask. That?" Each word was punctuated with a sharp poke to the chest.

"Ow!" The Doctor backed away, attempting to fend off her attack. Amy followed, backing him into a chair where he was forced to sit, continuing to berate him and poking him in the chest for emphasis.

"I thought you knew me? How could you think that would be something I would want? How can you even begin to…" She broke off suddenly, eyes wide looking at him in sudden fear.

"It's you. You're asking me because you want to stay. You want to…" she searched for a word, and grabbed the first one that came to mind, her voice rising to a shriek with it. "Breed!" She was yelling now, and yelling was good as far as her anger went. "You want to breed with one of those doe-eyed females and help increase their gene pool!" Her fists had closed with her shouts and she was now pounding on his chest and shoulders with her outburst.

He grabbed her hands, pulled her down onto his lap. She struggled to get away before realizing that he was chuckling despite the abuse she had just rained down on him.

"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?" She yelled.

He met her eyes, and pulled her into a kiss. She froze in surprise.

The kiss ended and he looked into her eyes. "Because of you. I'm laughing because of you. Do you really think I would want to, much less agree to join with any one of those women? Amy, my Amy." He shook his head in amusement. "My amazingly wonderful Amelia Pond, how can _you_ think I would want that?" He turned her words back at her.

"But, they're beautiful…" Amy trailed off, still befuddled from the kiss that had brought her out of her anger.

"Nowhere near as beautiful as you are." He said softly, again pulling her into a kiss.

Once again, the world disappeared around them as they filled each other's senses. The kiss deepened and for a brief moment they were alone in the universe.

A tentative knock came at the door.

The Doctor groaned and pulled away from the kiss, their eyes met and they chuckled in amusement. Amy stood, and he heard her mumble under her breath, "if that's Kalana, I'm going to gouge out her eyes." He followed her as she strode over to the door, and opened it. Lorna stood there, once again blushing looking up at the Doctor.

"You can't leave yet, you're not finished." Lorna proclaimed, looking up at the Doctor. She pushed between Amy and the Doctor, walking to the center of the hut.

"Well?" Lorna asked. "Why are you leaving when you've still things to do?"

The Doctor and Amy exchanged a startled look.

.

.

"They were definitely here." River informed Jack as he joined her in the suite they had taken at the beach resort on Diamas Prime.

"Yeah, I got that impression from talking with some of the staff." Jack replied.

They had arrived on the planet that morning, and after checking in Jack had opted to go native, shedding his clothing and strutting around in obvious pleasure.

"Your mother made quite an impression. From what I gather, the Diamen felt she was looking at them the way some people look at their lunch." He chuckled as River threw a pillow at him in mock anger.

"I refuse to believe that my mother ogled the staff, no matter what you imply." She stated, Jack laughed out loud at the pun.

"They may return," Jack suggested. "Maybe we should stay for a few days just to be sure?"

River nodded in agreement, shedding her clothes and stepping towards him.

"In fact, maybe we should stay _right here _and wait for them." Jack mumbled, opening his arms as River stepped towards him. She pushed him down, pinning him onto the bed and he was suddenly unable to focus on anything beyond the warm naked woman on top of him, and the way her wild curls tickled his chest and belly as she kissed her way down his body. His eyes rolled back in his head and he groaned in pleasure.


End file.
